Po the Plumber
by Lion warrior
Summary: (AU) When Tigress's busy schedule and learned experience prevents her from getting her old plumber, she enlists the help of a new one from a friend. But for both the plumber and her, they encounter some quite strong 'backed up' emotions.
1. Chapter 1

Po the Plumber

 **I do NOOT own anything!**

* * *

"What is it with you and romances?" Demi asked.

"Shut up, just give me the story," I said, making sure he didn't read into my thoughts much.

"Well, this one is a bit...cliche," Demi replied.

"Eh, I'll try my best to put a new spin on it," I shrugged.

* * *

"Great," Tigress muttered. "Just great and in a time like now!" Cursing under her lips, the tiger rubbed the top of her nose and grunted an angry sigh. Living in a house has some perks. You can have higher credit status, build your family around it, and have a sense of independence. The problem comes when you have to take care of the house. Now money for Tigress wasn't a problem. Being a top-notch lawyer, she could easily pay for damages. The problem came in this particular area. Her plumbing was back up in the worst possible way. Her faucet drain was clogged and the water ran so slowly down the drain that it would flood if she wasn't careful with it. "I'm not calling Luigi again," Tigress muttered. Luigi, her normal plumber, usually did the plumbing for a cheap, cheap price, but the problem was that his jobs would always go wrong. Tigress suspected that every time Luigi came to fix one thing, another thing would happen that only he could fix. Tigress looked at the clock. She had to go to work. She quickly got her things, made a memo on her phone to get a new plumber and went out the door.

The routine of work managed to calm Tigress down, but not enough to the point that it wasn't noticed by Viper, her assistant. "Tigress, is something wrong?"

"Hmm? Nothing, Viper. I just have a plumbing problem at my house and I'm not going to call my old plumber because he's not getting the job done," Tigress complained.

"You get what you paid for," Viper shrugged. Tigress groaned as Crane came into the room.

"I ran the numbers again. They should be right this time," Crane said. He was the business statistician. "Hey, Tigress, what's up?"

"She's having trouble finding a good plumber," Viper explained.

"I haven't even bothered to try and find one yet. I'm too busy," Tigress added.

"Oh, why don't you call my plumber. He's great and his plumbing job lasts a good while," Crane said.

"Price?"

"Reasonable. He lives with his sister to take care of her kids, so he only charges what the parts actually cost plus a little for himself," Crane said.

"How do you know that?" Viper asked.

"He's very open about his life," Crane replied. Tigress squinted her eyes at the bird.

"Sounds suspicious," Tigress cautiously said.

"Just try him," Crane offered, giving her his number. Tigress looked at the card, not really believing the crane. There was no way that a plumber could be cheap and not have a catch. But she needed her faucet fixed.

* * *

Po was his office, filing some of the paperwork from his last job. His apprentice came in with a call. "Mr. Po. We have a job we need to look at. It's kind of urgent."

"How urgent," Po asked, not even bothering to look up from his papers.

"Um... well, it's not urgent for us, but she's kind of an important person. She's a lawyer," His apprentice said. Po sighed looking up from his papers.

"Peng, you know I'm impartial to this kind of stuff," Po replied.

"I know, but when's the soonest we can meet her?" Peng asked. Po looked at the calendar on his desk.

"Ask her when she's available Thursday?" Po asked continuing to write. Peng asked her.

"She said she would be best available right around noon," Peng replied.

"Okay, that'll be perfect. Give us the address and we'll be right over," Po answered. The snow leopard nodded happily as he talked with the lawyer over the phone. "This paperwork will be the death of me," Po sighed.

"Why don't you let me do it?" said a familiar voice. Po looked up to see Mei-Mei carrying Lei-Lei, her daughter.

"Sis-"

"Come on, Po. You know I can help you in this," Mei-Mei said.

"I know, but still," Po replied, "You have your work to take care of." Mei-Mei smiled.

"I'll be fine. Take a break," Mei-Mei said.

"I'll take care of Lei-Lei," Peng chimed, taking Lei-Lei from Mei-Mei.

"Spotty baby!" Lei-Lei excitedly said. Po smiled as he tiredly got up from his desk and went to the couch to sleep for a while.

"Enjoy this while it lasts Po," Po muttered to himself, "I can't just keep living under my sister's roof. Lei-Lei will grow up soon, Peng will not be my apprentice, and I'll be back to being a lonely person." Po sighed going to sleep.

* * *

"Ten bucks they're going to be late," Tigress muttered angrily to herself looking at the clock. Just as the time turned to noon, there was a knock on the door. Tigress opened the door to see Po in his denim overalls with his apprentice. Tigress, still in her business attire, was pleasantly surprised by the panda's young appearance. Definitely different from what she was used to.

"Hello, Mrs. Fang," Po formally greeted himself, "I'm Po the Plumber and his is Peng, my apprentice. You called us for the faucet."

"Yes, right this way," Tigress replied as they took off their shoes and put on sanitized shoes.

"What exactly seems to be the problem?" Po asked.

"The faucet drain won't go down properly. I keep trying, but the water just won't go down fast enough," Tigress replied. Po and Peng eyed each other. It was amazing what people would do just because something doesn't work fast enough. Po could see that the tiger's status was a posh kind of living style. As they got to the master bedroom, Po instantly picked up on something. She was single. He could tell by the way the room was made out: decorated sheets, few memorial items of family and friends and the smell was purely lavender scented. There were other indicators, but Po chose not to focus on those right now. They got to the faucet. It was very ordinary and minimalist, kind of like her room. Po was glad because it meant he didn't have to deal with accented or fancy plumbing. "Here it is," Tigress pointed it out. Po turned it on and indeed it was almost immediately stopped up.

"Do you... throw your fur down here sometimes?" Po asked.

"Rarely," Tigress answered. "It mostly comes off in the shower." Po and Peng groaned.

"Ah, that's a different job. You don't have to call me unless that one is in need of help. Okay, Peng, go down and see what we got."

"Sure," The snow leopard replied.

"He's your... related apprentice?" Tigress asked, curious as to why he seemed so close to the snow leopard.

"No, but he is basically family in my house. I guess Crane told you about my living situation. Peng's a great helper on and off the job," Po replied.

"How did you know it was Crane?"

"He told me to expect a call from you," Po answered.

"Oh," Tigress said. They were silent for a while as Peng continued to look. "If he's your apprentice why aren't you teaching him?"

"He's got to see what the problem is for himself," Po replied. "Helps him to recognize it better."

"Oh, there's a problem. I just can't believe it exists," Peng grunted as he got out from under the faucet. "Take a look." Po bent down and looked under with the flashlight.

"What the...Who the heck did this?" Po exclaimed.

"What's the matter?" Tigress asked.

"I think I understand why your drain is blocked. It's because whoever did this was a complete and utter idiot," Po muttered under his breath as he got back out. "The trap is tilted sideways," Po said. After the confused look on her face, Po explained more. "The way the drain is supposed to work is to come straight down, hit a U shaped pipe called the trap and then send water out. The... dumb brain that did this managed to get that trap sideways and used a smaller pipe for the output so it seems like it always gets clogged. Who was your previous plumber?"

"Luigi." Po groaned.

"Figures, I worked with him. The way he does his work is that he wants to be hired again, so he messes up something else in the house so you call him again." Tigress growled angrily. "How much did you let him fix?" Po asked.

"It's an old house. I asked him to help with basically everything," Tigress replied. Peng and Po grieved.

"You're going to be calling us a lot," Po said with a little-frightened look. "But right now let's fix this thing. Peng, can you hand me the medium pliers." As Peng did, Tigress's phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Tigress. You remember that client that you were busy with?" Viper asked.

"The one that was asking for his whole trial to be evaluated, causing us a major headache? Yeah, I remember," Tigress growled.

"He suddenly requested the case be dropped. He's already paid you for the time and effort. We're working on the minor ones so you can stay at home for once," Viper replied.

"That's nice," Tigress sighed. "Looks like this plumbing job maybe more extensive over time."

"You called him? Well, is he decent?" Viper asked.

"I don't know yet. He just got here and considering how Luigi is, he may-"

"Okay, we're done," Po told Tigress. The tiger's eyes popped open.

"Call you back," She said to Viper, hanging up the phone. "You're done already?"

"Yeah, fixing it wasn't that hard. You just have to turn it around a bit," Po replied, "We'll be off."

"Wait, don't you want to get paid?" Tigress asked.

"Something as minor as that where I don't even have to use my tools, I don't charge," Po replied with a smile.

"*AHEM*"

"Peng, on the other hand," Po said rolling his eyes, "Wants to always charge the apprentice fee because he's trying to raise some money for himself."

"Please?" Peng cutely begged. Tigress smiled.

"Ten dollars should be enough for him," Po said. Tigress took out a twenty dollar bill.

"Here, save it for college," Tigress told the snow leopard.

"I intend to," Peng smiled, getting the tools to the truck.

"And here's something for you," Tigress said, pulling out a twenty, but Po refused.

"I'm actually trying to save you money. Considering that Luigi fixed your entire house, you're going to need to save some money for future events. So please," Po said, gently grabbing her hand and curling the money into her paw. "Keep your money." Tigress just stood there silent for a moment. She shook her head awake.

"Maybe you could come back and do an inspection," Tigress suggested. Po thought about it.

"Sure, next Thursday sound good?" Po asked. Tigress nodded. "Sure. I'll make sure that I'll leave some room open for inspection."

"Okay, thank you again um..."

"Po, Mrs. Fang," the panda smiled.

"Just Tigress," Tigress smiled. Peng honked the horn on the truck, indicating they needed to leave.

"The inspection should just take an hour so call me if things don't work out," Po said, rushing to the car.

"I will," Tigress called back. Po got into the car and drove off.

"Well, that was easy," Po sighed happily.

"And she seems very nice," Peng mentioned. Po looked at the snow leopard strangely.

"Why do you say that?"

"Nothing, I'm just saying she seems nice. And she did seem single so-"

"No, Peng. Don't even think about it," Po muttered.

"I wasn't going to say anything," Peng laughed. Po just huffed in annoyance.

 **To Be continued..**


	2. Galvanized Situation

Galvanized Situation

* * *

"Ten minutes? But how? I thought it would take you your full lunch period," Viper confessed. Tigress shrugged as they entered the office.

"That simply wasn't the case. He said that it was just a simple arrangement problem," Tigress replied. Viper's head tilted, indicating she was a bit confused. "He explained it better," Tigress added.

"So that's the end of your plumbing problem," Viper smiled. Tigress groaned.

"Not even close. He knows Luigi, and he's coming for an inspection of everything that Luigi messed up in my house. I think I'll sue Luigi," Tigress growled as they entered their floor room. Crane was waiting for them and overheard their conversation.

"Someone already beat you to it. Some guy, former plumber, noticed what Luigi was doing and sued him, but I already figured out how to get on board the suing process," Crane replied. Tigress shook her head.

"Forget it. Luigi doesn't have that much money anyway," Tigress argued.

"That's what I thought, but it turns out he settled for 30,000 dollars with the other guy. I figured out he has money in stock. A very profitable one," Crane smirked. Tigress's ears perked up as her face grew an almost evil grin.

"Though I hate to be called a miser, he owes me a lot," Tigress replied, giving Crane permission to go ahead with the lawsuit. "But for right now, we better get back to work. I have to make sure I'm back when Po gets to my house."

"So what is he like, Tigress? Is he like the stereotypical plumber?" Viper asked honestly.

"Not at all," Tigress replied. "He's actually very clean and proper. He's... actually kind of good-looking and at the very least cute," Tigress confessed. Crane and Viper stopped working and looked at Tigress intently. "What?"

"You've never called anyone cute since the last time you've dated someone," Crane mentioned.

"Oooh, I know where this going," Viper said excitedly. Tigress rolled her eyes.

"He's just my plumber. Nothing more. I'm not going to have a relationship with someone who works for me. That only leads to more problems," Tigress replied.

* * *

"So can we just simply quit the subject," Po asked as he finished telling his sister and Peng why he would not be interested in Tigress.

"We're just making sure that you make new friends," Mei-Mei grinned. Po's eyes rested on his sister's shining yet mischievous face.

"I do not mix work with my personal life. Besides, I need to focus on my work and on taking care of little Lei-Lei," Po replied.

"You work too hard," Mei-Mei complained. "Take a load off. You deserve it." Mei-Mei sighed as Po simply waved his hand, shooing her away. Po noticed that Peng was still there.

"What is it, Peng?"

"Other than your personal life, I was actually here to tell you that I won't be able to help you with Mrs. Tigress's job. I have a special class I have to go to."

"Fine, I'll just tell her to reschedule," Po said, picking up the phone and was about to call her when Peng placed his hand on Po's.

"Po, you know very well that you can do this job without me," Peng replied, "It's an inspection. We're not putting in a water heater."

"Don't you think it will be weird with just me and Mrs. Tigress?" Po asked.

"Well, if you really don't have any interest in her then there should be no problem," Peng smiled. Po groaned.

"Why do I have a feeling you're setting me up?" Po asked.

"Just do the job," Peng pleaded. Po sighed.

"Fine," Po grumbled.

* * *

"Ugh, why did I agree to this?" Po nervously muttered to himself. He simply breathed in and knocked on the door. Tigress opened the door. "Hello, Mrs. Tigress," Po smiled, nervously clearing his throat. "I'm here for the inspection?"

"I know. Come in," Tigress replied. Po walked in, put on his cleaning shoes, and walked with Tigress to the living room. Tigress noticed that Peng wasn't around. "Where's your apprentice?" She asked.

"Um... he's going to a class that's mandatory," Po replied nervously. Tigress immediately realized why Po seemed so nervous.

"So... you came here alone?" Tigress asked. Po simply nodded.

"If that makes you uncomfortable, I can reschedule when he-"

"No, no, no. I'm fine," Tigress replied, covering her surprise. "Um... where do you want to start?"

"Hmm? Oh! Um... Probably the attic, where the water heater is. If that's bad then I have to get Peng and some other help as well," Po groaned a bit at the foreshadowing. Tigress lightly chuckled at the panda's complaint. So the two walked up the stairs to the attic. Even the attic was very spacious. "You have a lot of space here," Po commented. "Pretty big house for one person." Tigress looked at Po with a slightly surprised look.

"How did you know I live alone?" Tigress asked. Po simply shrugged as he turned on the lights for the attic.

"I've been to a lot of houses. I pick up on things," Po replied. Then he saw the heater. "What the?" The water heater had a very intricate pattern. Normally, copper and PVC pipe are used to both feed and send cold/hot water out of a heater. This water heater had galvanized piping. It's a thick usually shiny metal when it's new, but it can corrode very quickly and can get into the water supply. Most of the galvanized piping had been switched out with copper or PVC pipe in the newer days. (Preferably PVC because copper had a high theft rate) Not only was the piping galvanized, it was twisted and it turned almost in a sculpture type mess. Po rubbed his forehead. "You're a lawyer, right?"

"Yes?"

"Sue Luigi's butt off," Po simply stated. Tigress smiled evilly, implying she already was. "I'm surprised the water heater itself isn't broken." Suddenly, they heard a loud groaning followed by a dripping noise. "Of course." Po sighed. He went to inspect the water heater. "How long have you had this water heater?"

"Since I moved in," Tigress replied, standing back from a far.

"When was that?"

"Ten years ago."

"And are you the first owner?" Po asked.

"No, my father had this house before he died. He never mentioned anything about this," Tigress explained. Po felt bad about bringing up the father's death.

"Oh," He simply said. Then he looked at the date of the water heater. "15 years old."

"Is that bad?"

"Not really. It means you have a reliable heater. Before the leak, how was the water?" Po asked. Tigress groaned.

"Cold and lukewarm. It would range tremendously," Tigress muttered. Po sighed.

"Then we're going to need to get a new one. I have to fix the piping anyway to make sure that it's...simple and not the complicated mess that it is now," Po sighed.

"How much is that going to cost?" Tigress asked dreadfully. Po looked at it for a while.

"A gas heater with the amount of water you use and have... probably six hundred dollars," Po explained. Tigress's eyes popped open.

"That's it?!" She asked. She coughed a bit because her voice went up higher than she intended. "I mean, last time Luigi wanted 4,000." Now Po's eyes widened.

"Get your money back," Po said. "Not even highly recognized plumbers charge that much for a 30-gallon gas water heater," Tigress growled at herself for being that stupid.

"So what about the water heater?"

"It should hold until tomorrow. I'll clear my schedule to make sure everything's fine," Po replied. "In the mean time," Po said placing a big tub underneath the leaking area. "There, that should hold until tomorrow."

"Are you sure that you clear your entire schedule? I don't want you to lose that much business," Tigress said sympathetically.

"Don't worry, I can get my friend to help me with those jobs if I need to," Po replied. Tigress smiled.

"Thank you, Po," Tigress replied sweetly. Po nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"Um... let's see what else needs fixing," Po said, shaking his head and looking for the rest.

 **To Be Continued...**


	3. Hot Water Infatuation

Hot Water Infatuation

* * *

" A hundred thousand!" Peng exclaimed. "Luigi messed up her house that badly?" Po drew a great big sigh from the sight of the paper. "How is she going to pay for this?"

"Most of it isn't going to be that much. It's an economy sized estimate, but we do need to make sure that the water heater is fixed today," Po replied.

"Po, it would be easier for her to just sell the house," Peng said.

"I mentioned that to her," Po sighed, "But she seemed okay with paying that much. Plus, most of what needs fixing is just minor. That and she may get a big settlement from Luigi."

"So that's why you called over my uncle?" Peng asked. Po nodded as they loaded the tools into the truck. "How did she take the news when you told her?"

"I explained everything to her. She settled down after I told her, but that doesn't mean we can waste any time," Po said hopping into the car. The snow leopard nodded and jumped in as well.

Meanwhile, Tigress was at her job as she gave a big huff, throwing the papers in her hand to the desk. She rubbed her hands together as she tried to get the nerves down. Viper, who just slithered in, noticed this. "What's wrong?"

"Financial paper for one of my clients is going to make me late for my appointment with Po," Tigress sighed. Viper smirked.

"This Po guy has really gotten your attention, huh?" She playfully teased. Tigress growled at her.

"I'm not seeking any kind of intimacy. Luigi's work is going to cost me a lot of time and money. Fortunately, his lawyer seemed willing to cover the expense, but I still need to be at the house for Po come in and replace my water heater," Tigress replied. Viper sighed. The idea she had was going to make her late for her shows, but it was for a friend that she was doing this for.

"I'll take care of the financial papers. You get ready for when Po comes," Viper said.

"Viper I can't-"

"No buts! You need the repairs done to your house immediately. I'll stay over late. Just promise over time," Viper winked. Tigress smiled.

"Thank you, Viper," Tigress replied. "I owe you." Viper smiled, knowing she had set up Tigress for an interesting event.

* * *

"Mrs. Fang? Why does that sound familiar?" Tai-Lung said to himself. Tai-Lung, Peng's uncle, would regularly help Po with the plumbing jobs he had if they were almost too strenuous for two people. "Well, if she's the best example of Luigi's mess, then we better help her fast."

"No kidding. It's surprising how wide Luigi's path of destruction is," Peng joked.

"Come on, guys," Po said as he stopped the truck and hurried to the back. "Let's get this done. We have a lot to do to this house."

"Why is he in such a rush?" Tai-Lung whispered to his nephew.

"Secretly, I think he likes Mrs. Fang," Peng replied back.

"I DO NOT!" Po shouted at the snickering snow leopards. "Just get over here you lazy bums," Po grunted as he knocked on the door. Tigress opened the door to greet each one. "Hello, Mrs... Tigress."

"Hello, Po," Tigress smiled. "And nice to see you again, Peng." The snow leopard just cutely smiled. Then her attention was directed to the big snow leopard. "Well, if it isn't the pain in my butt," She smirked. Tai-Lung gave a great big laugh as he hugged Tigress.

"I knew I remembered the name from somewhere. How have you been Tigress?" Tai-Lung asked.

"I could be better, depending on how you guys fix my house," Tigress grumbled. The other two were greatly confused. "Tai-Lung and I used to be classmates in high school. He used to pick on me for a while but then we became friends over a fight."

"Rather, she nearly killed me," Tai-Lung muttered.

"That's nice," Po slowly said, still a little weirded out that they knew each other so well. "Umm... Let's get this water heater. The sooner the better." Po, rather than putting on his sanitized shoes, put on fresh looking steel-toed boots. If the water heater slipped, he would be fine. He also put on heavy grip gloves to get a good grip on the thing. Tigress noticed the others weren't doing the same and had on normal things.

"Why does Po have to wear all of that stuff and you guys don't?" She asked.

"Po is the strongest of us all. He carries the heavy side of the tank while we carry the lighter side. I'm pretty sure that he can lift the heater by himself, but he doesn't want to risk it," Tai-Lung explained. It wasn't because his weight that Tigress thought Tai-Lung was lying. Okay, it wasn't mainly because of his weight, but Po didn't seem that strong. Tai-Lung, on the other hand, seemed to be the strong one. Tigress decided to watch them carry it out to see if it was true. She followed them upstairs to see that Po had already loosened the couplings and gotten the heater out of its water catching pan.

"You guys got the top?" Po asked. They both nodded. "Alright. Ready? Go!"

Muscles seemed to pop up onto the panda's body out of nowhere for the tiger. As Po lifted the tank by his knees, his biceps, triceps, and all kind of ceps bulked out as he lifted the thing. They had emptied out the tank prior to this, but it was still heavy. Tigress stood there in shock as Po and the others walked out of the attic and down the steps almost with ease. Po didn't seem to have any problem with lifting the heavy object. It didn't help Tigress that he was also wearing one of those contour tight-fitting workout shirts. They carried the hulking water heater out to the truck and carried in the new, lighter water heater. This time Po carried it by himself. Tigress just stood there with her mouth dropped wide open as Po lifted it from the bottom and carried it into the water catching pan. He gently dropped it into place and relaxed his muscles as Peng and Tai-Lung worked on the couplings.

"Well that was quick and easy," Po said, not noticing Tigress's shocked face. Tigress quickly shook herself out of her daze. She could now I'll never make fun of fat people, not that she ever did.

"Um... yeah. You made quite quick work of that," Tigress said shakily. Po looked at her as she cleared her throat. "Sorry, something in my throat." Po shrugged it off. "You're uh... certainly very strong for a plumber," She said gently rubbing Po's arm, sending shockwaves up the panda's body. Po cleared his throat.

"Um... yeah, I get a good workout from this. Plus I workout at the gym to make it much easier on myself," Po nervously laughed. "Um... let me helped them with couplings." Po quickly walked over to the three as Tai-Lung walked over to Tigress who was still staring at Po. Tai-Lung walked next to her and whispered to her.

"Your tail is wiggling," He smirked. Tigress's eyes widened as she looked down to see her tail was swiftly moving around. She crushed it in her hand and elbowed Tai-Lung for snickering.

Pretty soon the job for the water heater was done and the three were finished for the day. As Tai-Lung and Peng were getting the tools in the truck, Tigress quickly and eagerly asked Po. "When can you come again?" Po rubbed the back of his head.

"Um.. well, I'll see if I can make plans for next Tuesday if that's okay with you," Po replied. Tigress smiled brighter.

"That's perfect. I'm off that day," Tigress answered.

"Well, then Tuesday. I'll call you if anything changes," Po smiled as she paid him and left. Po got into the car and didn't even have to look at the snow leopards to know they were smirking. "Shut up."

"HAHAHAHAHA!" They burst out in laughter as they drove off. Tigress watched them leave as she gave out a sigh.

"I'm such an infatuated idiot," Tigress muttered as she closed the door behind her.

 **To Be Continued...**


	4. Feeling Pressured

Feeling Pressured

* * *

"Why did I tell you this?" Tigress groaned as Crane kept laughing at her. "It's not funny! You didn't tell me that he was a bodybuilder."

"Oh, I don't think it was the muscles you were attracted to. It was the cuteness and strength and that combination made you crippled," Crane chuckled. Tigress just huffed in annoyance.

"Crane, the reason why I told you this is because I thought I wouldn't hear Viper laugh. Unfortunately, I still can," Tigress growled, then sighed in frustration. "I didn't even think I was attracted to muscle-bound guys."

"You're not," Crane explained, "You were attracted to Po's personality and the physical attractiveness is just a helpful booster."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just imagining things."

"That's not what I said," Crane replied, raising an eyebrow. Tigress growled in annoyance as she began to pack her things. "What are you going to do besides have Po working on the house?" Crane asked.

"I'm probably going to work out during the day," Tigress explained. Crane's eyes furrowed together and he tilted his head. "What?" Tigress asked, darting her eyes trying to find something interesting on the walls.

"You... work out at your house, right?" Crane asked to which Tigress nodded. "And Po's supposed to be coming to your house that day, right?" Tigress's glare returned, scaring the bird for a second.

"I am not planning on giving him a show!" Tigress shouted.

"I was not implying that. I'm just curious as to why you would be comfortable doing your workout while he's in the same room," Crane said defensively. Tigress rolled her eyes.

"Po isn't like most guys. You know that already. I... feel comfortable around him enough to trust him. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be in the same room while he's working, and Peng will probably be over there too," Tigress explained.

"So you're going to be in your tight-fitting workout clothes around a muscle-bound plumber **and** a minor," Crane said, making it sound worse than it really was. Tigress would have rolled her eyes, but her face turned into a smirk as she crossed her arms and looked at the crane.

"And how do you know they're tight-fitting?" Tigress asked. Crane shook his head as he chuckled under his breath.

"Nice diversion," Crane said, "Alright, I'll keep it a secret from Viper, and I won't harass you about it."

"Thank you," Tigress sighed in relief as she left. Crane smirked as she left.

"Go on and put on a show for them," He chuckled.

* * *

"Why does Peng always have his classes at such 'convenient' times?" Po grumbled under his breath as he knocked on Tigress's door. "He's lucky there's no big problem." Today, Po was just going to fix the pipe arrangement for the kitchen sink. The kitchen sink sat directly across from the living room. In fact, it gave Po a clear view of the television set. Why was this important? As Tigress opened the door, Po's eyes popped open. Tigress was wearing a red short tank top that showed her white-furred belly. She also had black yoga pants that hugged her slim slightly muscular legs and behind very lovingly. That wasn't the biggest problem. "Uh... Oh... hi!" Po stuttered.

"Oh, hello Po. You're here to do the kitchen sink?" Tigress asked, still a little out of breath from working out. Po shook his head and nodded.

"Yes, I'm here for that," Po replied. Tigress looked around.

"Your apprentice isn't with you?" Tigress asked nervously.

"No, but if it makes you uncomfortable-"

"No, no, I'm fine with it," Tigress said. She breathed. "Why don't you just start on the sink?"

"Will do," Po chuckled nervously as he went to the kitchen. Po immediately went underneath the kitchen sink. The arrangement that Luigi made for the drainage system had not only made it difficult to work around, but it was also a safety hazard for the garbage disposal unit. So the job would take longer than usual. As Po began working on the piping, he looked down to see Tigress still working out in the living room where the TV was. So he could see all her exercise moves, thus: all of her body. "Help," Po whimpered and gulped.

"Did you say something, Po?" Tigress asked looking back. Po quickly busied himself.

"Um.. no, no, just a leaky pipe sound, that's all," Po nervously chuckled. Tigress knew he was lying, but she didn't feel compelled to point it out. She actually felt kind of flattered that Po was actually distracted by her. She heard Po muttering a prayer. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Tigress chuckled quietly as she continued her stretching. Suddenly, "AHHH!" Tigress's head shot up when Po screamed out. "DARN IT LUIGI! Caused the dang thing to be pressurized," Po muttered.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just a little spill. I hate working with water," Po sighed. Tigress was about to say something, but Po beat her to it. "I know I'm a plumber." Po stood up from the sink and used a rag that he brought to dry himself, but he was still soaked.

"I have some spare clothes that you can use," Tigress offered.

"It's alright. I... don't have any. That's right, Peng took them out to clean them," Po sighed. "I'll take those clothes. Are you sure they can fit me?" He quickly got out of the drenched shirt and rung it into the other sink.

"They'll fit. They're just some leftover from my ex," Tigress replied. Po's ears perked up as he heard the word and looked at her. "Ex-boyfriend." Po nodded.

"Not that it's any of my business but... why did you two break up?" Po asked. Tigress sighed.

"It just wasn't going well. He didn't really... fit for me. The only reason why I still have some of his shirts is because he forgot them when he was leaving the state. He said I could use them for whatever I wished," Tigress said, going to get the shirt, "And now," She said from the other room, "I have a use for them."

"I appreciate the gesture. I'll be sure to clean them after I'm done," Po promised as he took off the shirt. As Tigress came back into the kitchen, she could see Po's well-defined chest and densely packed yet fat cuddly belly. Cutely nervous, handsome, kind, cuddly, and ripped. Tigress had to make sure she wasn't blushing.

"H...Here you are," She stuttered. Po gently took the shirt and put it on. "And don't worry about washing it. I'll take care of it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Tigress smiled. Po nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"Ahem, well, I'll get back to the kitchen," Po said, diving back under the sink. "Oh, and if you see Luigi, punch him in the gut for me," Po growled out. Tigress laughed.

* * *

"STOP LAUGHING!" Po shouted at Tai-Lung. The snow leopard had come to visit Peng at Mei-Mei's house, and Po, unfortunately, told him about his visit to Tigress's house. "Why did I tell you about this?" Po muttered to himself.

"So she gave you her shirt and a show? You sure you didn't accidentally go into the strip club," Tai-Lung teased. He was immediately bashed on the head by an irritated female panda.

"I don't want Lei-Lei hearing those words," Mei-Mei said sternly.

"Sorry, Mei," Tai-Lung apologized.

"So about this stripper," Mei-Mei continued. Po and Tai-Lung looked at her with bewilderment. "What? I said I don't want Lei-Lei _hearing_ those words. She's with Peng." Po sighed.

"The point is that I need to call it off with this woman," Po said quite sadly.

"What do you mean?" Tai-Lung asked.

"I can't keep doing this...flirting. I have work to do. I still have to do that legal paperwork and this job has taken longer than usual because I've let myself become distracted. I have to stop doing this. From now on, I can't go to Tigress's house unless I have either Peng or you there," Po replied.

"Po, don't let your work prevent you from getting into something better," Mei-Mei advised.

"I know, but I can't just have a relationship with someone that's my boss. It's unprofessional," Po replied. "Now, I have to start on that legal work." With that, Po went to his office. Tai-Lung sighed in frustration and confusion.

"I don't get it! Why is he so worked up about his work?" Tai-Lung asked Mei-Mei. The female panda sighed.

"It's not the work that he's worried about. It's about being alone. Po honestly knows that when Peng's gone and Lei-Lei's old enough to go to kindergarten that he won't be of use to us anymore. We've offered to let him stay, but he says that it would just cause us more trouble. Honestly, though, he is right." Tai-Lung looked at Mei-Mei, shocked she would even consider saying something like that. "It's not that I want to get rid of him," Mei-Mei quickly said, "But when Lei-Lei gets bigger we're going to need the space and it would be easier for us to pay for food. I just hate it when Po sees himself as a burden to us. He's been more of a help to us than anyone else. He's honestly just afraid to have false hope. I guess the work is a kind of distraction from his loneliness, so he's trying to get back into the habit."

"Wow, I never realized that," Tai-Lung sighed. "Well, we can only hope." Meanwhile, Po was in his office writing away when he started to smell something. He sniffed around to find out it was the shirt that Tigress gave him. He inhaled the scent deeply. It smelled like her. Po shook his head awake and busied himself with the work.

"I can't be distracted," Po sighed, sniffing the scent again, "No matter how much I want to."

 **To Be Continued...**


	5. Fur trapped Circumstances

Fur Trapped Circumstances

* * *

"You WHAT!?"

"Keep your voice down, Viper!" Tigress quickly stated. "Yes, I... was exercising in front of him when he was working. I feel so ashamed."

"Why?"

"He's my plumber. I... basically tried to seduce him," Tigress awkwardly replied.

"Oh," Viper said, pausing for a moment. "So you're upset that he didn't take the bait?"

"Yes, I MEAN NO!" Tigress shouted back. "Viper, no matter how attractive he may be to me, he's my plumber. I can't just be... unprofessional like that."

"What if he wasn't your plumber?"

"What do you mean?" Tigress asked.

"What if he became your friend?" Viper rephrased.

"Viper, how would I do that?" Tigress asked. The snake shrugged her head.

"You tend to figure out a way when you're determined, Tigress. I think I'll leave that to you," Viper mysteriously said, leaving the tiger to her thoughts.

* * *

"So, how badly is the bathroom damaged?" Peng asked as they walked up to Tigress's house.

"It actually should be fairly easy, so I'll let you do this one," Po monotonously said. Peng became awkwardly quiet. "Go ahead, say it."

"You don't have to be so sad about it," Peng spoke up. Po sighed as he knocked on the door.

"I'm not sad. I'm just... worried about the legal situation. I have a lot on my mind, Peng," Po replied with a sigh.

"Also, why haven't you taken off that shirt?" Peng asked. Po's head, seemingly asleep, whipped around to his apprentice.

"What?"

"That shirt Tigress gave you. You're still wearing it," Peng pointed out. Po looked down and became alarmed.

"Oh shoot! Go in the truck and get me a spare shirt. Quick!" Peng dashed to the truck, threw the shirt to Po, and Po changed just in time for Tigress to open the door. "Oh, mum... Hello, Tigress," Po quickly and nervously said, presenting the shirt. "I brought back the shirt. I hope you don't mind it being a little dirty."

"Oh no, it's fine," Tigress replied giving a brave smile. Peng could see that both of them were struggling with something. "Um... let me show you the shower," Tigress said quieter than usual. They walked over to the bathroom. "Like you predicted, the fur got trapped."

"It should be an easy fix," Po simply said, instructing Peng to look at it. While Peng examined the drain, Po and Tigress awkwardly glanced at each other, trying to avoid eye contact with each other. Finally, Po spoke. "Um... Tigress, about yesterday-"

"I'm so sorry I made you uncomfortable by exercising in front of you," Tigress interrupted, sighing as she looked down at the floor.

"No, no, no, you didn't make me uncomfortable," Po replied, relieving Tigress, "But I'm afraid with the... situation I'm in, I'll have to make sure that Peng or Tai-Lung is with me for these jobs. So my availability is going to be very limited."

"Oh," Tigress said, disappointed. "I understand." They both heard a sigh from Peng inside the shower.

"Everything alright, Peng?" Po asked.

"Yeah, it's okay. I guess," Peng muttered.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I've got it," Peng replied. Just then, Po's cell rang.

"Excuse me for a moment," Po said to Tigress. "Hello? Yes, I remembered. I sent it to you two weeks ago. What? No, it shouldn't... I've done all the paperwork as you requested. So wait, you're saying that we still have a problem with it? That's impossible! I promise everything is in order! Okay, okay. I'll redo the papers again. Okay, bye," Po gave a great sigh of woe as he hung up the phone.

"Lawyer problems?" Peng guessed.

"You and Tai-Lung will have to do some of the work by yourselves. I can't let this legal issue go on for much longer. I'm up to my ears in papers," Po sighed.

"What's the matter?" Tigress asked.

"Nothing, really. Just some legal issues we're having with our lawyer. We've been stuck on the same papers that we need to be authorized and he's saying they're still not in order. I don't know what's missing," Po sighed, "I'll just have to redo the whole thing."

"Po, that will set you back on the workload for about a week and you'll lose too much business, even with me and Tai-Lung working," Peng said from the shower.

"I know," Po sighed, "I'll think of something." Po laid his hands on his head, lightly pulling out his fur. Tigress bit her lip thinking to herself. She had an idea, but she didn't know whether or not to go ahead. Then she remembered what Viper said to her.

"I can help," Tigress offered. Po looked at Tigress with wide eyes. Before he could speak, Peng joined in, stepping out of the shower.

"That's right, she's a lawyer and a top-notch one," Peng said, making Tigress smile in a little pride. "She could really help us."

"Peng, get back to work," Po order a little irritated. He knew what the snow leopard was doing. As Peng went back to his work, Po tried to gently refuse. "I can't allow you to do that. As much as I would appreciate the help, our legal situation is a small matter. Plus, I don't think I would be able to pay for your quality work."

"I'll just get a discount from all the work you're doing on the house," Tigress replied.

"That's a great idea," Peng said.

"Peng," Po sternly said. "Miss. Fang, I-" Po was stopped by Tigress's finger on his lips. Po blushed.

"Po, let me do this for you. You've done so much for me already. At the very least let me help you with this as much as I can. Please?" Tigress smiled kindly. Po groaned a bit as he couldn't say no to that face.

"Okay, when-"

"Just email me the papers. I'll work through them," Tigress smiled.

"I'll do that," Po replied as he heard Peng quietly celebrating in the shower. "Peng, are you done?"

"Almost. Just getting the little pieces out," Peng coughed out, actually returning to his work. Po sighed as Tigress laughed. "Got it!"

"Good, pack up and let's go," Po replied. Then he turned to Tigress. "Are you sure about this?"

"It's only natural. Don't worry, I'll be able to handle it," Tigress assured. Po sighed finally in defeat.

"Okay," Po replied.

"Po, are you coming?" Peng asked as he walked out the door.

"I'm coming," Po replied. "Thank you so much for your help."

"Thanks for letting me," Tigress smiled as she kissed Po on the cheek. "See you later."

"Uh... right... see you, later," Po nervously chuckled, tripping over his own two feet before reaching the truck. Tigress chuckled at the panda's actions as he stumbled into the truck and drove away. When they got a bit away from Tigress's house, Po immediately pulled over, stopped the truck, and glared at Peng menacingly. Peng balled up his hands in frustration.

"You need a break, Mei-Mei can't help you all the time, I can not do anything in this situation, Tai Lung's not a lawyer, your current lawyer's not giving you any advice, and she's willing to help! The best lawyer in the area is willing to help you! You've been saying that you had to focus on your work. This IS your work, and if you can get quality help for a small cost, why are you angry with me?!" Peng exclaimed. Po sighed. He couldn't argue with him with that logic. "I know you want to be professional and try and keep your head straight, but you can't be a solid brick wall when it comes to things that can help you and your business," Peng continued.

"You're right," Po sighed as he started up the car.

"And if you get married in the process, all the better," Peng teased.

"Ugh!" Po grumbled. Meanwhile, Tigress closed the door behind her and noticed a small smell. She looked at the shirt that Po gave her and smelled it. It was... weird to Tigress that she seemed to enjoy the scent. She inhaled deeply and relished in it. She laughed to herself as she held it in her hands.

"Maybe I won't wash this just yet," she mused to herself.

 **To Be Continued...**


	6. A Talk Goes Down the Toilet

A Talk Gone Down the Toilet

(I got a million of them) ;)

* * *

Tigress opened the door, expecting it to be the mailman when she saw Tai-Lung at the front door. "Oh, hello Tai-Lung. Is Po with you?" Tigress asked, looking behind the snow leopard.

"Nope, just you and me, kitten," Tai-Lung smirked, irritating Tigress as she let him inside. "Po wanted me to help you with the house today, but he has another appointment."

"Oh," Tigress said, noticeably disappointed.

"Aw, don't be so sad kitten. Your crush will come back," Tai-Lung teased.

"Po and I are just professionals in our fields interacting with each other, nothing else," Tigress firmly stated. Tai-Lung looked her over up and down.

"Is that why you're wearing the shirt that he gave back to you," Tai-Lung smirked. Tigress looked down and realized she had worn it the whole day and forgot to take it off. Tigress quickly looked away from Tai-Lung while he laughed at her flustered face. "Don't worry, I won't tell Po that you like his shirt."

"Thank you," Tigress mumbled. "Anyways, could you fix what needs to be fixed and then kindly get out of my house!" Tai-Lung laughed as he went to work on one of the toilets in the house. "What appointment did Po have?" Tigress asked. Tai-Lung smirked at her. "I'm curious."

"His sister's daughter had a doctor's appointment and she couldn't take her, so Po offered to help," Tai-Lung replied as they finally got to the toilet. "I don't know how much longer he can take it, though," Tai-Lung grunted as he bent down to look at the toilet.

"What do you mean?" Tigress asked.

"Po overworks himself a lot. We have to beg him sometimes to take a break," Tai-Lung replied. "He makes a decent amount of money, but it seems like he's constantly working. The only time he ever stops is when he's sleeping, eating, or working out as you enjoy watching him do."

"Tai-Lung," Tigress sternly growled. Tai-Lung was undeterred. "It's none of your business."

"Oh really? Then why did you exercise in front of him?" Tai-Lung smirked. Tigress's eyes widened.

"He told you that!" She said loudly, causing Tai-Lung to jump and hit his head on the porcelain throne.

"OW! Gosh, woman! It's not that critical," Tai-Lung rubbed his head. Tigress turned away, hiding her fluster.

"Why would Po tell you that?" Tigress asked, really wanting it to be a secret.

"We kind of pressed it out of him. We were honestly wondering why he came back from your house sweating like a sprinkler. We had feared something went wrong...or right," Tai-Lung smirked.

"Tai-Lung!" Tigress shouted, causing him to bang his head again.

"OW! Would you stop doing that!" Tai-Lung groaned. "Why are you so uptight about this?"

"He's my plumber! I can't just... you know... with a person that works for me," Tigress explained.

"Well, considering you're helping him with his legal work, I would think you're working for him as well," Tai-Lung said, finally getting the water tank out of the toilet.

"He told you that as well?" Tigress asked, wondering if there was anything that Po kept secret from them.

"Of course, we're family," Tai-Lung laughed, but his laughter stopped as he said, "Or at least we'll be for a while," Tai-Lung sighed sadly.

"What do you mean?" Tigress asked.

"Peng's almost about to go to college within two years, which is also the time that Lei-Lei, Po's sister's daughter, is going to kindergarten, so Po will have to move out of the house and get his own apartment," Tai-Lung explained.

"Why can't he just stay with his sister?" Tigress asked.

"He doesn't want to feel like a burden. He doesn't say it, but I think the thought of him going back to an apartment all by himself is... scary," Tai-Lung sighed as he cranked the last socket into place. "Well, there we go. Sorry for the intrusiveness, not like you don't like me coming over," Tai-Lung smirked. Tigress smirked back, rolling her eyes.

"Thank you, and tell Po I'll be paying him electronically," Tigress replied, "Now please, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Tai-Lung laughed as he was about to leave, but Tigress stopped him. "By the way, what is Po's sister's address?" Tai-Lung, for the first time he was there, didn't look at her with a mocking face, but a confused one.

"Why?"

"...I'm... just curious," Tigress finally said. Tai-Lung shrugged and gave her the address.

* * *

Later in the day, after bringing Lei-Lei back from the doctor, Po went to get some food and came back to hear Lei-Lei screaming and laughing loudly, "Stripey Baby!" Po thought it was strange. Lei-Lei usually called people by how they looked. Snow leopards were big or small Spotty babies and Po was Uncle Cloudy. Who on Earth could be a 'Stripey baby'? Po looked around the corner to Tigress playing with Lei-Lei, and Mei-Mei and Tigress laughing together. Po's mouth dropped as Mei-Mei saw him.

"Oh, Po, it's good to see you. Miss. Fang came over to visit," Mei-Mei smiled. Po tried to fake his surprise.

"It's good to see Tigress," Po nervously smiled. "Um... Mei, could you come into my office for a moment. You don't mind watching Lei-Lei, do you Tigress?"

"Oh of course not," Tigress smiled as the panda child played with her tail. Po pulled his sister into his office.

"What is she doing here?!" Po exclaimed.

"I don't know. She just came, introduced herself, and we hit it off pretty well," Mei-Mei replied.

"Well, I'm glad you two are getting along, but still!" Po exclaimed. "Why would you let the person who I work for in the house?!"

"Because she asked?" Mei-Mei shrugged. Po was still exasperated. "Po, calm down. She obviously wanted to see you in your natural element."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, don't you think it's strange that she would come here just to play with Lei-Lei?" Mei-Mei pointed out. Po thought about it for a moment. He considered the things that had happened. Did Tigress really do all of this just to be closer to him? Po shook his head awake and was about to speak, but, "Don't just shake away that thought. You know that it doesn't make sense and you can't just ignore it!" Mei-Mei assertively exclaimed. "Po, you've been working a lot and everyone in this house knows that you're afraid of being alone when Lei-Lei and Peng are grown up. Just try this relationship and see what happens."

"I can't!" Po exclaimed out of frustration held back emotions, nearly shouting at his sister. Mei-Mei was shocked that he would shout at her. Po calmed down. "No matter what I do, I can't let that happen. She and I aren't in some kind of whimsical fanfiction that some hopeless romantic wrote up! **(Oops! Did I write that out loud? Speaking the truth a little too much)** This is real life. People like her don't go for people like me. And even if I could, a plumber with a lawyer?! How is that going to work?" Po asked, no, demanded to know.

"It's your life, Po," Mei-Mei calmly replied. "You decide if it will work. Some things are destined to work or fail. Other things, you have to try." Po sighed.

"Mei, I'm sorry for shouting," Po sighed as he plopped into his chair. "I'm just very tired."

"Then rest," Mei-Mei said to her brother. "You're working yourself to death. Just relax for a moment. You've taken care of others for a while. Let others take care of you for a change."

"I'll try," Po sighed as they went back to Tigress, who seemed very flustered and Lei-Lei was gigglingly loudly.

"Uh... *Cough* Well, I should be going now," Tigress said, grabbing a stack of papers from Po's office. "Uh... Mei-Mei already gave me your papers, so no need to send them. I'll be off now," Tigress said in a hurry. She jumped into her car and drove off. The two pandas looked at each other.

"What was that about?" Po asked her sister, who shrugged, but Lei-Lei continued to giggle.

"I know why she's upset," She said excitedly. Po smiled.

"Oh? And why's that?" Po asked.

"I told her a secret," Lei-Lei replied.

"You did," Po said still smiling. "What's the secret?"

"I told her you liked how she 'smelled' because you were sniffing her shirt," Lei-Lei said. Po's eyes widened.

"YOU WHAT!" Po exclaimed, making Mei-Mei and Lei-Lei laugh. Meanwhile, Tigress, after hearing the child's words, was driving home. She wasn't weirded out or anything. She would have found it flattering that he thought her scent was nice. It was embarrassing to her that she was in the same boat. Tigress pulled into the driveway of her house and sighed.

"That's it," Tigress said to herself. "I have to end this now."

 **To Be Continued...**


	7. Flushed Away the Pain

Flush Away the Pain

* * *

Po walked up to her door and knocked on it. Tigress opened it and her eyes shot open. "Oh, hello. Have we met before?" She asked. Po could understand the confusion. He wasn't wearing his overalls or working clothes. He was in a pair of dark jeans with a polo white shirt. Po was going to re-introduce himself when he caught sight of Tigress's hidden smirk. Po rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Very funny," He replied as he walked inside the house. "I came here for the results of the papers."

"Sure," Tigress said as they sat down at the kitchen table. "I actually talked to your lawyer about some of the papers. The whole thing was weird. One of the forms that you had was in a different format, which is why he couldn't find it. He instantly located it when I told him the location. I also took the liberty to do some of the future authorization for the business."

"You did all of that in three days?" Po asked in amazement. Tigress smiled almost pridefully.

"There's a reason why I'm 'top-notch'," She replied.

"Thank you, so much. You've relieved a major headache for me," Po sighed in thankfulness. Tigress's smile disappeared as she looked at the panda straight on, almost making Po afraid.

"I think I've relieved a self-inflicted headache," Tigress replied.

"What do you mean?" the panda asked.

"Po, in my talk with Lei-Lei," Tigress started, noticing Po's embarrassment, "She often times wakes up in the middle of the night and sees you working."

"Okay, and?"

"I've asked Mei-Mei about it. She says that you normally do that. You work far too much for a plumber. In fact, you actually work harder than me," Tigress replied. "Why do you do this?"

"Work has to be done," Po said simply.

"Is work all you think about?" Tigress asked.

"No."

"Then what else do you think about."

"You," Po said. There was an awkward pause before Po recovered, "From time to time and on occasions," He nervously added, "My family and friends, my future-"

"And what future is that?" Tigress interrupted. Po looked at her with an even face. She couldn't have been asking these questions just out of curiosity.

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Because someone like you can't just be that consumed by plumbing. Don't you have other dreams?" Tigress asked. She herself was surprised they had gotten on this subject, but Tigress desperately wanted to help.

"I've always been a cook **(Yeah I know, Ironic).** I actually am, but when my sister needed me I went back to the trade my father taught me. I started earning a decent amount of money. It isn't my passion, but with Peng and Tai-Lung, it's fine for me."

"And when Peng and Lei-Lei are grown up and gone?" Tigress asked. Po immediately knew where she got that from. He huffed in annoyance.

"Tai-Lung and Mei-Mei talk too much," He grumbled looking away, "You should take their word with a grain of salt."

"You're not a burden to anyone, Po," Tigress said, knowing he knew what she was talking about, "When I was looking at the papers, a lot of the mistakes I saw was the result of an overworked man that refuses to let the people who care about him help him!" Tigress exclaimed almost angrily. "Po, I'm not saying you're selfish, but you don't have to be the person to help **everyone**. You don't have to work to be loved by your friends and family, and even when they're physically gone, you'll always have people who care about you. So stop trying to work to get rid of the loneliness because no amount of work is going to remove that pain." Po rubbed his eyes and gave a small laugh. In the course of a month, this random beautiful woman had figured him out like a lying client. And the fact was he couldn't deny it.

"You're right," Po finally said, saying it not only to her but to himself as well. "You're right. Thank you, for everything. I guess I've just had the wrong mindset. It doesn't matter if **I** help everyone. I just need to make sure that everyone is helped," Po then smiled at Tigress. "And thank you for yours." Tigress's smile came back. Po finally got back up and the two of them walked towards the door.

"And Po," Tigress called. She kissed him on the cheek, giving Po a surprise. "Thank you for all your help." She smiled at his confused face. But then, by some unknown force, Po gently grabbed Tigress's chin, leaned in, and kissed her on the lips. It was definitely a surprise for both of them.

"You're welcome," He answered breathly against her lips. He didn't dare look back as he jumped into the car and left. Tigress went back into her house, closed the door, leaned against the door, slid down it, and gently touched her lips.

"I can't believe he did that," Tigress said to herself, hearing her heart racing in her chest.

"I can't believe I did that," Po said to himself, dodging cars on the road. Po drove home, where Tai-Lung, Peng, and Mei-Mei were all in the house. When he walked in, he acted like a zombie.

"Po, what happened?" They all asked.

"Nothing," Po replied. "I'm going to bed," He said. It was still early, but since Po was resting, they could only conclude that Tigress had said something to him.

 **To Be Continued...**


	8. Shower of Opportunities

Showers of Opportunities

* * *

She looked at the doorknob with timidness. She had never been so nerve-wrecked of a doorknob in her entire life. Admittedly, not that many people are. She knew he was coming today. She just couldn't erase the thing that happened last week out of her mind. Her coworkers had asked her repeatedly what happened and up to this day she kept it a secret. Now, she had to face him again. What would he say? What would _she_ say? It was as awkward as it could be. What if it was wrong of her to start this whole mess? What if he didn't want to initiate this kind of thing? What if... what if he kissed her again? Tigress shook her head at that last one. She tried to remove the fear from her mind, but she couldn't. Suddenly, the doorbell rang and she screamed in surprise. "Tigress? Are you okay?" Came a voice from the other side of the door. It was Tai-Lung. She knew her bathroom shower needed some repairs, so it would possibly be the two snow leopards. Tigress breathed and normally opened the door. There to her relief was Tai-Lung and Peng, and no panda in sight.

"Hello, Peng, Tai-Lung. Please come in," Tigress replied, almost in a breathy way. The two noticed this.

"Is something wrong?" Peng asked, concerned.

"Nothing, I was just...running around the house. The sound of the doorbell scared me as I was going upstairs," Tigress said, a little jumpy. Because of her super activity, the two didn't question it. "So where is Po?" Tigress asked, wondering after her fear was gone.

"He's at a spa," Tai-Lung said. That stopped Tigress's jitters altogether. Why on earth was Po at a spa? "He came back from your house a little spaced out and then decided to take Mei-Mei up on the offer to get a deep-tissue massage. By the way, what happened between you two?"

"Nothing," Tigress replied quickly. "Please just fix my stuff." Before Tai-Lung could say anything, Peng interrupted.

"We'll do our best," Peng smiled, relieving the tiger. Tai-Lung grumbled under his breath as they walked towards the bathroom.

"Why did you stop me?" Tai-Lung asked quietly to his nephew. "I was going to get the dirt on the both of them."

"If you want Po to be able to at least be friends with her, you'll have to stop teasing them about this," Peng replied harshly. He then spoke to Tigress, "So the bathroom shower head needs fixing?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, if you could fix that, it would be greatly appreciated," Tigress awkwardly replied. The two snow leopards entered the bathroom. Peng went first into the shower to examine the head. He had the door open so he could hear Tai-Lung. That and he wanted to make sure that Tai-Lung wasn't harassing Tigress.

"It shouldn't be that bad of a fix. I just need some of the screws and-" He stopped short when he saw something in the handle. "Hey, Miss. Tigress? Have the handles of the shower been leaking every time you turn them on?" Peng asked. Tigress nodded. Peng gave Tai-Lung a signal to get something out of the truck. While Tai-Lung was out, Peng talked Tigress frankly. "So... Po and you."

"Nothing happened," Tigress quickly stated.

"You and I both know that's a lie. Why on earth would he go to a spa?" Peng asked. Tigress sighed. She could at least tell him that part.

"Well, I told him up front that he needed to stop working himself to death. And that he wasn't a burden to anyone in the house. I'm surprised that he actually listened to me," Tigress confessed. Peng smiled.

"He actually listens to you more than he listens to anyone," Peng replied. Tigress's eyebrow rose.

"Why?"

"Well, he's heard the speech from all of us, but you're the only person that's actually managed to get him to follow through with it," Peng simply said. Tigress coughed out her nervousness.

"Well, I was just suggesting some things, and I tried to help by getting the paperwork done so-"

"Thank you," Peng simply smiled. Tigress looked at the kid snow leopard. "Thank you very much. You've helped more than you know." Tigress smiled at the young snow leopard as his uncle came back from the truck and went back into the shower. "I just wish I could help my uncle that way."

"What do you mean?" Tigress asked.

"He's a very charming person, but he's also single. I guess a lot of people think that since he's attractive that he must be unattainable," Peng replied. Tigress rolled her eyes.

"I am not going to be looking for someone for him to date," Tigress stated. Peng 'seemed' confused.

"Huh? Oh! No, I wasn't suggesting that. Honestly, I wasn't. It's just although Tai-Lung has a great job on the side, I would think that he just deserves someone to live with him. You know, just to keep him company when his friends are gone," Peng replied, almost making it sound like a sob story. Tigress looked down at the smiling snow leopard with a glare.

"What are you planning to major in college?" Tigress asked.

"Psychology."

"That's why" Tigress sighed.

"Hey, I'm not majoring in being a manipulator," Peng said defensively.

"That's debatable," Tai-Lung grumbled from the shower. Peng glared at his uncle through the unseeable screen door. Tigress thought about it.

"I'll think of something. For right now, I just need my shower fixed," Tigress replied. Suddenly, there was a loud clang.

"AHH! Dang, it!"

"What's the matter, Uncle?"

"The mechanism's busted and I don't think we have anything for the repairs in the truck. We're going to have to get a new one," Tai-Lung muttered.

"Let me see," Peng said, stepping into the shower. He carefully examined the broken piece. "I... don't know what kind of mechanism that is. I don't think we have the key for it."

"What's wrong?" Tigress asked as they stepped out of her shower.

"So... when you turn on the hot or cold water, there's a little mechanism that helps to close off the pipe. Well, the problem is that mechanism seems to be a certain kind of set. It's not a universal one. Hmmm," Peng thought for a moment. "Po could probably get it out with the tools we have, but... are you comfortable with him being here?" Peng asked this because he didn't want Tigress to be super nervous around Po and do something worse than whatever she did. Tigress sighed.

"I'm going to have to face him eventually," Tigress replied.

"It would be easier if you told us what hap-"

"No," Tigress answered. Tai-Lung huffed in frustration.

"There's also another problem. We had to shut off the mainline in order to fix the problem. It'll be fine to turn it back on, but you can't use the shower," Peng groaned. Tigress groaned as well.

"I'll get some help from a friend," Tigress replied. "Thank you for your help. When can you guys get back? Minus Tai-Lung of course." Tai-Lung glared at the smirking tiger.

"I hate you," He muttered.

"The day after next will be fine. Po will be back from his stress management class," Peng replied. "Do you have a person you can borrow a shower from?"

"I know just the person," Tigress smiled.

* * *

The cat came down the stairs, wiping her head with a towel to make sure the fur wasn't moist. Presently, she heard the phone go off and picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Song?"

"Tigress! It's so good to hear you. You barely call," Song accused. Tigress rolled her eyes.

"Stop being so dramatic. I've been... busy this last month. I've had some work done to the house and I need to borrow your shower," Tigress replied.

"Sure, you know where the spare key is, but I have to warn you my heater isn't as good as it used to be."

"What's the matter?" Tigress asked. Song sighed wearily.

"It keeps giving me cold water. I don't know what's wrong with the stupid thing. That and my washer's broken," Song grumbled. Tigress thought about it and a mischievous smile came to her face.

"I think I know just the person to help you," Tigress smirked.

* * *

After coming from the spa, Po was working on some early paper business when the phone rang. He was so caught up in the work that he failed to look at the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Hello."

"Oh hey, Tigress," Po casually said. Then he realized who was on the phone. "AHHH!" He dropped the phone and fell out of his chair. He crouched behind the desk, peering at the phone with fear. Mei-Mei came rushing in.

"What's the matter?"

"Answer the phone!" Po whispered, crouched behind his desk. The female panda picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" Tigress asked, confused as to what was going on.

"Hey, Tigress. How is it going?" Mei-Mei asked, mouthing to Po what was going on. Po kept swiping his arms around trying to tell Mei-Mei not to give away his position.

"Um... is Po there?"

"Oh, is Po here?" Mei-Mei said out loud. Po shook his head. "He... forgot that something was on the stove," Mei said, before quickly covering the phone. "Like there is now!" Mei-Mei said to Po as the smoke detector went off. Po rushed to the stove and turned off the pot and came back in. "Um... what did you want from him?"

"I... Uh... Well, one of my friends needs some plumbing help and I was wondering if he could help. They need their washer and hot water heater fixed," Tigress explained.

"Hold on a second," Mei-Mei said. She explained it to Po. Po drew a sigh of relief as he started to look at his schedule and nodded. "Sure we have some space." Mei wrote down the address of the client.

"Oh, can you make sure that you take Tai-Lung with you as well," Tigress requested. Mei-Mei told the same to Po. Po shrugged, but then he stopped.

"Why?" He asked very suspiciously. Mei-Mei asked the same.

"Um... no reason," She replied awkwardly.

"She said... Oh for crying out loud! HERE!" Mei-Mei said in frustration as she forced the phone into Po's hand and left to go tend to the cooking. Po timidly began to talk.

"Hhhh hello?" Po asked.

"I was wondering when Mei-Mei was going to get fed up with being the middleman," Tigress nervously joked.

"Yeah, um... about what happened. I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable," Po apologized.

"No, no, it's fine. It was... nice," Tigress said, nervously playing with her tail.

"Oh," Po simply replied. Then he shook his head. "Um... about this Tai-Lung thing. Why do you want me to bring him along for the inspection?"

"No reason. I was just thinking that you may need some help inspection," Tigress innocently said. Po narrowed his eyes at the phone as if he was looking at her.

"You're up to something," Po said plainly.

"I have no idea of what you're talking about. Just have Tai-Lung there with you, okay? You'll probably see my point later on," Tigress said, quickly hanging up. Po just thought for a moment, wondering what the striped cat was up to.

 **To Be Continued...**

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay. Have to play catch up with my work**


	9. Washed and Boiled into a Relationship

Washed and Boiled into a Relationship

* * *

"Good to see you relaxed and ready," Tai-Lung said, giving a great big smile. Po simply gave him a short smile back. "Are you okay? You seem anxious to get to this house."

"I am. I have my next appointment with Tigress," Po said. Before Tai-Lung could say anything, Po stopped him. "I need to talk to her privately too. I'll actually drop you off and go over to her really quickly. Her house is not that far," Po replied. Tai-Lung was interrupted again, "And no, I'm not going to do anything with her that you might be thinking."

"GOSH! Would you let me finish!" Tai-Lung exclaimed. Po chuckled as they parked at the place. It was a small house, probably only two bedrooms from the look of it. It was newer than Tigress's house. "Hmm, interesting setup," Tai-Lung noted.

"And she has a green thumb from the look of the front," Po said, noticing the beautiful flowering garden in the front. Po knocked on the door. The door opened and a female snow leopard was standing in the doorway. Po's eyes widened as he remembered what Tigress had said. "Umm... hello, I'm Po the plumber. I was told by Miss. Tigress that you needed your water heater and washer looked at?"

"Yes, yes, please come in," Song replied. Po was about to walk in, but Tai-Lung held him back.

"That's Tigress's friend?" He asked almost incredulously.

"Yeah, why?" Po whispered back.

"No reason," Tai-Lung hastily said. Po shrugged, but he had an idea as to why Tai-Lung was acting funny. As they proceeded, they started going downstairs. Unlike Tigress's house, Song's hot water heater was in the basement.

"That's going to cause some problems," Po sighed as they entered downstairs.

"Why?" Song asked.

"It's just much easier sometimes carrying something down instead of carrying something up," Po sighed, "But that's just lazy _me_ talking." As they entered the basement, they realized how... decorated it was. A dark jade couch on the left wall, a bright pink rug on the floor, several posters of paintings and different landmarks, and a state-of-the-art computer on the right. "Wow, you really know how to clean up basements."

"I need the space for the journalism job that I have," Song explained.

"Isn't it a little... I don't know... dangerous to put a computer in the same room as a water heater," Po asked. Regardless of the safety of the heaters, they could still cause moisture problems. Song shrugged.

"I usually use it when my noisy neighbors are partying next door, which happens to be often," Song grumbled. Po smiled.

"Let's see what's going on with this thing. Tai-Lung, are you coming?" Po asked, noticing the snow leopard was unusually quiet. As the two began examining the water heater, Song's cell phone rang from upstairs.

"Excuse me for a moment," Song said, running upstairs. When she was gone, Po started to talk to Tai-Lung while they were looking at the heater.

"So... is there a reason why you're not cracking jokes or making nice with the customer as you usually do?" Po asked almost innocently.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tai-Lung replied quickly.

"I mean you usually at least talk with the customer. Is everything okay?" Po asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine, Po," Tai-Lung answered almost sternly. Po decided to back off. "Found the problem," Tai-Lung said, looking at the bottom of the heater. "This is a gas heater. The pilot light is out." Gas heaters, unlike electric ones, heat the water using gas. However, when the water is not used or is at a certain temperature, the fire for the heating goes out. A pilot light is always kept on to make sure that the fire can be ignited and the water heated each time it's used. However, sometimes, the pilot light goes out. "Let me go to the truck and get the lighter." Tai-Lung walked up the stairs and quite literally bumped into Song. "Oh! Sorry," Tai-Lung apologized.

"It's okay," Song smiled as he left to go to the car. Song's eyes lingered a bit on Tai-Lung before she walked downstairs where Po was looking at her with a knowing smile. "What?"

"Hmm? Oh! Nothing, I remembered a joke," Po laughed it off. "The heater's gas lighter was out. That would explain the cold water."

"Wouldn't the gas seep out?" Song asked, a little worried.

"No, there's an automatic safety valve that cuts off the gas when the light goes out," Po explained. "In the meantime, what about that washer?" With that, Song led Po up to the washer, where she bumped into Tai-Lung again.

"Oh, sorry, my mistake," Song said nervously chuckling. Tai-Lung chuckled back, quickly going down the stairs to the heater.

"Um... ma'am," Po called, tapping her on the shoulder when she zoned out, "The washer?"

"Oh right," Song remembered, rushing to the washer. Po examined the washer.

"Hmmm, it just needs a new exit hose. I don't have one in my truck, but there is a hardware store right near here, right?" Po asked. Song nodded. "Great! I'll leave Tai-Lung here and go and get the piece." When he said that, Tai-Lung had just come back up the stairs and heard what he said.

"What?" Both Tai-Lung and Song said.

"It will be quick. Plus, I have to stop by Tigress anyways and that's personal. I'll be back before you know it," Po smiled, dashing out before either of them could stop him. He revved up the truck and sped off.

* * *

Tigress was finishing off some of her paperwork at home when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it to see Po leaning on the doorpost with a smirk. "You little sneaky tiger," Po said as Tigress's mischievous smile showed.

* * *

Tai-Lung was desperately fiddling with the water heater, trying to find some _invisible_ leak near the heater. It didn't help that Song was right next to him, typing away on the computer. Tai-Lung had to admit she looked very cheerfully beautiful. He kept tweaking the heater, making sure the spots from the moisture were dried. He hoped that Song didn't know that he was nervous. Finally, he couldn't take the silence anymore and decided to break the ice. "Um... so... what are you writing?" Song looked at him, surprised that he finally spoke.

"Oh," She said in a gurgled voice. She cleared her throat. "Um... I'm writing on the inner state cultures. I've just finished a trip from different parts of the state."

"Oh, a comprehensive culture map," Tai-Lung guessed. Song nodded. "So... how's the writing coming along?"

"It's fine. It's kind of tedious here and there, but it's worth it," Song replied. "So, have you been doing plumbing all of your life?"

"Oh no! I'm kind of a jack of all trades. My current work is welding, but I help Po when I can," Tai-Lung explained. "Um... actually, as a weird transition, I never got your name."

"Oh, Steel-Ling. Song Steel-Ling." **(Hehe).** "You can just call me Song," Song smiled. Tai-Lung offered out a hand as a start to an awkward friendship.

"Tai-Lung Won-Crook," Tai-Lung replied. Song admired his nice amber eyes for a moment before clearing her throat again.

"Um... If you're finished with the water heater, I can get you something to drink," the snow leopard offered. Tai-Lung for a moment thought about Tigress and Po's relationship. Could it be the same thing here? Would it be bad? Tai-Lung shrugged at the thought. It couldn't hurt to try.

"Sure," Tai-Lung said with a charming smile. By the time Po finally got back to the house, the two snow leopards were chatting up a storm. Po quietly fixed the washer to give them some privacy as they got to know each other, but the panda smiled.

"Now I have something to tease him about," Po smirked.

 **To be continued...**


	10. Allowing the Water to Flow In

Allowing More Water to Flow In

* * *

It would be five o'clock before Tigress would see the outside of the office again. A lot of back work had piled up in her office and Viper was off today. Crane helped, but he didn't have the same organization that Viper had and things got complicated. "This should be the final paper. Sign here and I'll get the rest through," Tigress grumbled as she merely told the person what to do.

"I assure you, Miss Fang, I know what I'm doing," that person replied. Tigress didn't believe him, but she wouldn't argue with the lawyer of Luigi. The settlement papers were about ready, and his lawyer was finishing up the final touches. "Everything seems in order. I'll get Luigi on it first thing tomorrow morning," the lawyer promised. Tigress held her plain face. Lawyers' words were as solid and unchanging as a sand-formed chameleon. However, she knew the lawyer well enough to be certain it would go through. The two professionals stood up, shook hands, and the lawyer went out the room. "By the way, who is repairing your plumbing supplies?" The lawyer asked. Tigress knew that was a dangerous question. Though it may seem like a curiosity, if the lawyer knew who the plumber was, he could tell Luigi and tell other people not to trust Po. Although Luigi's reputation was becoming well known, most people do not investigate the authenticity of a bad review. That gave Tigress an idea.

"It's a reputable plumbing company. Something that your client obviously doesn't know anything about," Tigress growled out as the lawyer left, almost in fear. Crane came in after that.

"So you didn't tell him about Po? Why?" Crane asked.

"He could give Po a bad review. But it does make me think of something," Tigress said more to herself than to Crane. "Po either needs to keep the plumbing job or get a new job because I think I can help him with both." Crane's eyebrow rose. Before he could speak, Tigress brushed it aside. "Never mind me. Just get back to work," Tigress ordered. It was a busy day, so Crane couldn't argue.

* * *

Po was busy as well. Though Tigress's legal help boosted his free time, he was still having trouble with calls. Most of them were just backed up toilets, so he would get only small money for that. Most of that money went to Peng anyways. Po also had a big project on his hand as well. His friend in the plumbing business had landed him a piping job for a new house. Or rather, the repairs of one. It turns out that Luigi laid the pipes down himself, so the place was riddled with problems. The boss of the job would be giving Po a big salary for the job, but Po still needed to keep up with the small jobs as well. "The big jobs are like an oasis in the desert. They are few and most are an illusion. Small jobs are like a deep well that never runs out," Po explained to Peng one time. As Po was finishing the invoice for another job, the phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and became nervous. "Oh no," He gulped as he hesitantly picked up the phone. "Hello?" He asked.

"Hey, Po? I need to ask you something. Business-related," Tigress clarified.

"Whew! Okay, what is it," Po asked. Anything that wasn't business related with Tigress usually caused Po a little discomfort. It was simply because he liked her.

"Do you want to keep doing this plumbing business?" Tigress asked. Po seemed to stare at Tigress through the phone. Tigress understood his silence. "I'm debating on a... tactical business move that may help you," Tigress explained.

"What?" Po asked.

"I think I know how to get you more money. But I need to know if you like the job you have or if you want to be a cook like you said," Tigress replied. Po thought about it. He couldn't really give her an answer, but he was curious as to why she asked.

"I'll think about it, but in the meantime, why do you ask?" Po questioned.

"Luigi's lawyer asked me who was doing the housework repairs. That kind of question could give Luigi the opportunity to hurt your plumbing business if you keep doing your plumbing," Tigress replied. Po thought about it, but as he looked at the time, he knew he couldn't answer her right away.

"I would have to talk to you later about it. When can we discuss it?" Po asked.

"I will be out of my office cell by five. How about we get some coffee at six near my place?" Tigress asked.

"Decaf please," Po smirked, signaling that he was okay with it.

"Great, I'll see you then," Tigress sighed as she hung up the phone. She glanced up from her papers to see Crane with his beak dropped, eyes wide, and papers on the floor. "What?" Tigress asked in all curiosity.

"Did... Did you just ask Po on a date?" Crane asked.

"No, I-" Tigress paused for a second. Even though it was a business meeting, they were going to go eat out to discuss Po's future. A date is supposed to be an event that helps two people get to know each other better. By definition, it did classify as a date. "Oh gosh I asked him on a date," Tigress said, gripping her head.

"She asked me on a date," Po began to realize, almost freaking out. "And I said yes!" Po became very worried.

"Are you going to have fun?" Said a small voice. Po looked down to see little Lei-Lei with her head tilted in confusion. Po guessed she heard the prior conversation

"Lei-Lei, I'm not going to eat with Miss Tigress for fun. It's work related," Po said, trying to convince her. Lei-Lei, although only having been with Tigress for a few moments, seemed to mimic the same disbelieving look that Tigress would do. Po picked up on this. "Has your mother been letting you play around Tigress?"

"Yes," Lei-Lei answered honestly. Po sighed. Lei-Lei was beginning to grow up faster than anyone in the house had imagined. Though she still called people by how they looked, she was developing other words to use. Po sighed.

"Okay, we... may have some fun, but it's just plain business," Po replied, "I hope," He muttered, making Lei-Lei laugh. It's funny how children seem to know more than adults let on.

* * *

Tigress fidgeted in her chair at the coffee shop. She looked impatient but she was very frantic. She rehearsed and rehearsed what she was going to say in her head over and over. "Calm down, Tigress," She said to herself. "I'm just going to ask, 'what do you want to do in the future?' That's it. Just what he's going to work as, if he's going to move, whether or not he's going to be married," Tigress paused at that last statement. "Stop it! This is no time to think about that!" Tigress grumbled, plopped her head in her hand, and sighed. "I'm such an idiot."

"Well, now I wouldn't say that," Po said, walking up behind her. Tigress jumped in her chair. "Sorry to frighten you. What were you thinking about so in-depth?"

"Um... nothing important," Tigress recovered. "I just wanted to ask you about something. Business-related. But first," Tigress said standing up, "Why don't we get something to drink?"

"After you," Po said charmingly. Tigress chuckled to herself. She liked Po's sense of charm, it was very... comforting. The two entered the shop and ordered the drinks. The cashier, not knowing any better, offered a discount for them.

"We have this couples' discount that you could try-"

"We're NOT a COUPLE!" Both Tigress and Po shouted, alarming the cashier.

"Alright, geez. Forgive a girl for making a mistake," The cashier muttered as she ran the cards. Tigress and Po looked away embarrassed as they quickly got their orders and took their conversation outside. Tigress gave an awkward cough as she started the conversation.

"So, have you thought about the question I asked?" Tigress questioned, busying herself with the cup of coffee.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Um... to be honest, I don't know. I definitely don't mind plumbing, but I would like to go back to my one passion of cooking," Po replied, "Why do you ask?" Tigress sighed.

"I think I have an idea to expand your business," Tigress answered. Po's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"I thought you wanted me to work _less,_ " Po mentioned.

"What mean by that is... Today, Luigi's lawyer finalized the settlement papers for the damages, and he asked who was making repairs on my house. I didn't tell him because Luigi could give you a bad reputation if he knew it was you, but that can't happen if you're either a cook or a bigger business," Tigress replied. She began to rub her hand a little anxiously. "But-"

"But?"

"But what are your future plans?" Tigress finished, "I can only suggest something to you if you do it. We have to factor in several things, whether or not you wanted to grow or stay where you are if you still want to be in the plumbing business. Um... whether or not you're going to be married," Tigress said shyly. Po's eyes widened as the tiger's eyes looked away. Instead of dodging the question, he delved into it.

"What would that last one do to affect me?" Po asked. Now Tigress felt more uncomfortable.

"Well, if you were going to get married, you would have to talk to your spouse about choosing. It would complicate things," Tigress simply explained. Po was silent for a moment.

"What do you think I should do?" Po asked. Tigress's eyes widened as she was put on the spot. She looked away, trying to find some answer in the passing people in front of the coffee shop.

"I think you should look into cooking, but don't give up plumbing just yet," Tigress replied. Po sighed.

"I would have to go back to college," Po said. Tigress's head turned to him. "I have enough money for it, but the time is an issue."

"Then make time," Tigress replied. "If it's something that you want to do, then do it." Po looked at Tigress for a moment and then turned his eyes to his cup.

"It's going to be a big change," Po stated. The tiger could see the uncertainty and fear in his eyes. She reached out and held his hand, making him snap his head up.

"You're a big guy," Tigress smiled, almost jokingly, "You have the opportunity to do this. I would say do it. Don't let fear inhibit you from something worthwhile." Po thought about her words. Maybe... just maybe.

"Tigress? Do you mind if I come over to your house?" Po asked.

"Sure, what do you want to fix?" Tigress asked, thinking that he meant something involving plumbing.

"No, I... I just want to have a nice afternoon with you. Not business-related," Po clarified, quite literally throwing himself out there. Tigress's eyes widened as she withdrew her hand. She struggled to say anything for a while. Was it the right time?

"I'm sorry, but I can't tonight," Tigress quite sadly replied. It wasn't a good time right now. She still needed to decide whether to go through with this or not. Tigress quickly tried to ease any thoughts of doubt in Po's mind. "I'm not saying never, but... just not tonight. I'm really busy with a lot of stuff and... I just need some time to think. Maybe some other time?" Tigress asked, hoping that Po would understand. She didn't really have any other stuff. The question that Po asked came out of the blue. She wasn't prepared for it. She needed more time. Po gave a brave smile.

"Sure, I understand," Po smiled. Tigress didn't trust that smile one bit.

"Po, I mean it," She said, almost in a threatening voice. "I'm not rejecting you," She said plainly, "I just... need some time." Now Po's thoughts were clear.

"I know," He replied with a genuine smile. They both drank their drinks and continued talking about business.

 **To Be Continued...**


	11. Rushing Water of Better Lives

Rushing Water of Better Lives

* * *

"I am such an idiot!" Tigress shouted in a restrained tone. She was at her office reflecting about yesterday. "I could have just said yes and gone with it like he did." Tigress leaned back in her chair in exasperation. "I mean, here I am trying to give him clues and then I just turn around and say no? What is wrong with me?"

"Many things I think," Said a voice. Tigress ungracefully fell out of her seat, quickly popping back up when she saw Viper smirking at her. Tigress sighed. She might as well tell her everything.

After a few minutes of telling Viper, Tigress sighed again. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't want him to think I'm playing games with him. I'm just...I don't know if I can do this."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Tigress," Viper assured. "You did the right thing. You didn't feel like it was the time to open that door. It's not like you rejected him. He already knows that. I think the blame is on his part."

"What do you mean?" Tigress asked.

"Well, you don't just ask someone to their house on the fly like that. Don't you think that would be a little irresponsible? I think he's more angry at himself than you are at yourself," explained Viper. And she was right. Po was in his office, pacing around. He was trying to understand why he would just ask Tigress some kind of,

"Stupid idiotic question like that?!" Po exclaimed, plopping down in his seat. He covered his face with his hands and drug them down. "I've got to do this smarter," Po thought to himself then he stopped. Was he really going to engage in a relationship with this woman? He thought it would just lead to a disaster waiting for him at the other end, but he was seriously having second thoughts. He liked her company, that was sure. She was very intelligent, determined, and playfully mischievous. What she saw in him, Po would never understand. But would he risk it? Presently, the phone rang. It was Song with another job. Po rolled his eyes. He knew _why_ she was calling. Tai-Lung now started skipping appointments with Po to go to Song's house. If he couldn't make, Song would actually call Po to schedule an appointment to fix something in the house. How she managed to ACTUALLY have something to fix **every time** they were there was a mystery to Po. Po picked up the phone and answered. "Hello?"

"Hello? Po. I need some help with my plumbing. The toilet's busted," Song replied hastily. Po quietly grumbled to himself. How did she manage to pull that off?

"I don't think I can make it. Tai-Lung's not with me so-"

"That's alright. I just really need someone to fix this FAST!" Song said almost urgently. Po said he would and hung up the phone. Okay, maybe she didn't make it up this time. Meanwhile, Song was frantically trying to cover up the water splashing out. Her plan to sabotage the toilet had gone completely bad when she accidentally knocked the refilling tank of the toilet out of place. Now the toilet was seeping water out and ignorant Song was trying to figure out how to stop the water. Finally, she located the turn off the valve and screwed it shut. "There! Now, I just have to cover up my tracks." The snow leopard was trying to keep her love interest for Tai-Lung a secret from Po although the panda already knew. They liked seeing each other. Song was cheerful and perky to Tai-Lung and Tai-Lung was just charming while also being as nervous as Po from time to time. They started seeing each other secretly, more times than Po knew about, and they really valued their times with each other. Po's truck screeched to a halt as he parked outside the house, knocked on the door, and waited for Song. The snow leopard opened the door, grabbed the panda, pulled him inside, and **commanded** him to "Fix my Toilet!"

"Okay, okay!" Po timidly replied, inspecting the toilet. He examined around the edges and corners and located the problem. He went to his truck, grabbed another refilling tank, and replaced the broken one. Then Po carefully turned on the water and the toilet was working again. Song sighed in relief.

"Thank you so much," Song replied with a smile, but Po wasn't smiling. He gave the snow leopard an even glare as she tried to dodge his gaze. "What?"

"The way this toilet broke makes no sense. What did you do with it?" Po asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" Song replied, trying to act innocent.

"Song, I know that you sabotage half of your plumbing just to see Tai-Lung," Po said, making it plain. Song's eyes widened as she sighed.

"Okay, you got me. Yes, I purposefully break the stuff so I can see Tai-Lung during your working hours," Song confessed.

"Why damage half your stuff just to see a guy? It's pretty stupid and expensive don't you think?" Po asked.

"Well, I tried to make sure that everything I broke fit in the 'small job' category of things to fix, and Tai-Lung isn't just some guy. He's more than that," Song replied.

"How?" Po didn't ask because he didn't agree. He was curious as to what she saw in him.

"Well, he's naturally charming, handsome, funny, and confidence when he's not nervous. And he's really ambitious and head-strong too."

"More like _hard_ headed," Po muttered but covered it with a smile when Song glared at him.

"My point is that I want to get to know him before I... I have to leave," Song said somberly. Po's eyes widened. "I'm a traveling journalist. I have to go from place to place a lot, and I don't get to meet a lot of friends. I was thinking that I could maybe-" She stopped short when she realized for herself the difficulty in the words she uttered. "It won't work, will it? I've seen what distance does to people. Some people can do long-distance, I can't. It's not going to work out, is it?" Song sighed as she slumped her back against the wall. "Why am I even trying?"

"Why not just take him with you on the trips?" Po suggested. Song's eyes widened as she stuttered and spluttered for an answer.

"WHAT! Are you crazy?! My company can only afford one room hotels and motels!" Song exclaimed.

"He can bring his sleeping bag," Po proposed.

"What about the added expenses?"

"Just have him work there. He's done camera work before," Po replied.

"What about his welding job?"

"It's in high demand. He can always get another one or be self-employed."

"What about you guys? Don't you want to be with him? What about your added help?" Song asked.

"I'll have my other friend help me. Plus, I don't think I'll be doing this plumbing job for long. I'll probably be in a better job by then. That and it's not like you're going around the world. You're staying in the states, right?"

"Yeah, but... what if... he doesn't want to come?" Song asked a little frightened. Po grumbled under his breath.

"Then take him as luggage," Po said sarcastically earning a disapproving stare from Song. "Come on, stop making excuses, Song. You know he would gladly jump at the chance. Don't be afraid of starting something like I am," Po advised. "Well, everything here is fixed. I'll leave you to your thoughts." With that, the panda left the snow leopard and drove back to the house where the phone rang just as he entered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Po?" Tigress said. Po gulped.

"Um... Hey, Tigress. Look, if it's about that thing I said yesterday, I-"

"Would Friday be good for you?" Tigress interrupted. Po was silent. He quickly snapped out of it when she coughed. "Um... Po?"

"Yes, Yes!" Po quickly exclaimed. "Friday works for me," Po replied.

"Great, I'll see you then," Tigress smiled as she hung up the phone. She leaned back in her chair at home and exhaled. "I'm actually doing this." She laughed at the thought. "A lawyer dating a plumber. I have to be crazy," Tigress said. She glanced at the bed where her office at home was and saw the shirt with Po's scent on it. She grabbed it and sniffed it again. She smiled again. "Or just in love."

 **To Be Continued...**

* * *

 **There's no 'good' way to integrate this into the story, so basically, Po didn't finish college for his culinary degree, which for those who don't know is a degree in making and preparing food. So in order to be a professional cook, he would have to back to get his degree.**


	12. Getting to Know Each Other

Getting to Know Each Other

* * *

Tigress was like a speed demon as she quickly tried to clean the house. The 'date' was about three hours away, but worry had set in and she was struggling to make sure that everything was in place. The house was already clean, but it seemed as if everything had to be perfect for this. "Okay, the floor is vacuumed, the sink is clean, I just need to-" She stopped short when she looked in the mirror. She wasn't messy, but she at herself deeper and laughed. "What am I doing? This is Po were talking about. I should know better than overwork myself for this. We're just getting to know each other better," She told herself. She turned around and tried to brush out the wrinkles in her dress. "But it doesn't mean I can't go all out," She mused to herself as she rushed to the dresser. Po was having the same issue as well. He hadn't told his family about his meeting with Tigress and tried to keep it that way. He tried figuring out what to say to any curious noses as he wore his formal casual clothing. He looked in the mirror, turning around to smooth out any rough edges.

"Perfect," Po sighed. "Now to try and get out of the house without anyone noticing." Po peeked out the door. No one in the hallway. He snuck downstairs where he could see Peng, Lei, and Mei sitting there watching TV. There was no way he could get out without them noticing. He decided to try and play it off. He walked into the living room and asked. "How do I look?" The three looked at him and noticed the formal casual clothing.

"OOoo, where are you going?" Mei-Mei asked, thinking she knew.

"An old friend of mine called and asked if I could meet him at this fancy restaurant," Po lied. He did his best to keep a straight face.

"Oh," Mei-Mei sighed in disappointment. "Well, be safe."

"I will," Po said quickly exiting the room, hopping in the truck, and driving away. "Whew, that was close." He finally arrived at Tigress's house with a small rose he had 'borrowed' from Song's garden. Po knocked on the door and Tigress opened it. Po's mouth dropped as Tigress wore her red jacket business suit and a jet-black skirt and undershirt. "Aaa," Po stuttered. Tigress smiled.

"Good to see you too, Po," She smirked at the panda's surprise. Po shook his head when Tigress took the flower. "Oh, you shouldn't have."

"It was nothing."

"No, I mean you really shouldn't have. I have a black thumb when it comes to plants," Tigress sighed. Po shrugged.

"Oh well, there are plenty of other ones," Po smiled as he walked inside. He smelled something burning. "Um... did you forget something on the stove?"

"Crud!" Tigress exclaimed as she rushed to the stove and took off the pot. "Ugh! Great, now it's no good," Tigress huffed in frustration.

"I can help," Po said. "I said I was a cook. What do you have left?" Tigress showed the panda the food list he could work with. "This is going to be difficult but I think I got it." It took awhile, but Po managed to salvage something that was workable and good enough to eat.

"Mmmm, this is good. What do you call this?" Tigress asked.

"Um... Secret Ingredient food," Po replied, unsure himself. Tigress smiled as she finished her plate. The night seemed to go very fast until Tigress had the guts to ask.

"Why did you kiss me?" Po's eyes widened. Now everything felt still. He looked around, trying to find something that would help him find an answer. He didn't know why and somehow he knew that Tigress already knew that. But why at that time? "Po?" Tigress questioned, bringing the panda back to earth. Po nervously scratched his head.

"I don't know. I guess, it just felt right," Po said.

"Do you always go by your feelings?" Tigress asked. This was a needed question. If Po simply liked her because he _felt_ like he was in love then the relationship would end this night. But that wasn't the reason why Tigress asked the question. She asked the question simply because she wondered if Po felt the same thing that she was feeling towards him. This weird, non-emotional feeling that just seemed to be a characteristic between them.

"Not always," Po replied. "But right then and there it just... did." Po knew that sounded awkward but that was the truth. In all honesty, he didn't know what possessed him to kiss her. "But... I don't regret it," He kind of laughed to himself. He realized he had said that out loud when he looked at Tigress's shocked and surprised face. "But... yeah," Po said, desperately trying to get on a different subject. "That's why." He was still nervous, but he couldn't really move the conversation at this point. But he could at least deflect the embarrassment. With a hint of a smirk on his face, he asked, "Why did you ask that question?" Tigres's eyes widened as she looked around the room for an answer. Po immediately regretted his decision. He didn't like seeing Tigress nervous. He would much rather see her confident and courageous. Not that he didn't like her shy side, but still.

"Well," Tigress nervously started, "It just seemed awkward for you to do something like that. You're usually the nervous, clumsy one." Tigress laughed at Po's pouting face. "But it was just...very out of the blue."

"Did you not like it?" Po asked fearfully.

"Oh, of course not," She said truthfully, reverting to her rigid nervous stance when she realized she had said it out loud. "I was... just curious." They were silent for a moment until Po started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"I'm just laughing at us. Never in my life would I have thought that a plumber could date a lawyer. It just seems like a bad princess and peasant story," Po chuckled, but Tigress looked at him sternly.

"Po, I don't think you're less than me. Just because I'm supposed to make more money than you doesn't mean that you're any less or more than me. Some of the smartest people are not the richest in money, but the richest in wisdom." **(Copyright(C) Lion Warrior)**. Po nodded, but then his head jerked up.

"What do you mean 'suppose' to?" He asked, "Don't you make more money than me?"

"Not at your current workload. A lawyer's job actually fluctuates pretty much. You work so much and with that project that your friend has for you, you actually made more money than me."

"How did you calculate that?" Po asked.

"I... did the math in my head. Plus, using your papers gave me some insight," Tigress clarified. "Sorry, if it was supposed to be personal." Po gave a short laugh.

"It seems like nothing in my life is ACTUALLY personal," Po replied. Tigress chuckled as well. Then a dangerous question came to her mind.

"Are you going to move out of your sister's house," Tigress asked. Po sighed.

"Tigress,"

"You don't have to move. She's offered you free rent and that's an impossibility," Tigress argued.

"It would give Lei-Lei some space. Plus, what happens if Mei-Mei decides to have another child?" Po argued. "Besides, IF I do get married, I don't want my wife to be living so much with my family. That just seems... onesided," Po explained. Tigress was about to comment, but she thought about. He actually had a good point. It would give him the privacy that he needed for his future love life. And it wouldn't make it awkward for her. Tigress shook her head. She meant to say it wouldn't make anyone else awkward, but she really did think about being his girlfriend officially.

Tigress thought for a moment on that. Now wasn't the time, but she could prepare for other opportunities. "Well, when you put it that way, then it does make some sense."

"See? Wait, why are you agreeing with me all of a sudden?" Po asked, curiously. Tigress gave a small smile at his childish-looking suspicious face.

"No reason," She said easily, "So what prompted you to come over here?"

"Well, I just wanted to know you more. What's your life story? All I know about you is that you're a lawyer who I... kind... of like," Po said shyly and nervously. Tigress felt more at ease when he plainly said it.

"I like you too," She said with more courage than she had shown before. "But to answer your question, I any of his traits."

"I wouldn't say that," Po added, "You're very focused."

"Not when it comes to you," She thought to herself. She said out loud, "But he was always proud of what I did. He was a lawyer, and I thought that I would be a doctor to bring him more money, but I found out that I had a knack for lawyer work as well."

"How so?"

"I actually found out by correcting a mistake that my dad missed. He began running paperwork by me at the age of 15," Tigress explained.

"WHAT?!" Po exclaimed loudly, making Tigress flinch. "Sorry, but how were you able to comprehend lawyer stuff at 15 years of age?!" Tigress's face became solemn.

"Don't feel pity for me when I say this, but I didn't have that many friends back then. I was very hard to deal with, and I was very... what the word?"

"Aggressive, destructive, threatening, hostile?" Po guessed. Tigress glared at his nervous chuckling face.

"I said A word," She muttered, "Anyways, I had a bad temper. I still do to some extent. That and I just looked different from all the people around me. I didn't look like the rest of the privileged kids. I also didn't act like them. I wanted to do things myself. I didn't want anyone helping me."

"You're independent," Po said, making Tigress looked at him. "Nothing wrong with that."

"Well, they certainly thought there was something wrong with that. They wondered why I wouldn't let the maid or the worker do certain things for me. 'Because I don't want to become a dependent' was always my answer. So because I didn't have friends, I turned to my dad's law books."

"You certainly were gifted," Po noted. Tigress smiled.

"I guess so," She sighed, "After I passed the Bar exam with flying colors, I shortly got the Board Certification and was awarded the Best Lawyer of the year for about... five years. In total, I've been a lawyer for about ten years now. I graduated early."

"Wow," Po replied, amazed. "And how did it make you feel to get those awards and stuff?" Tigress looked at Po as if he had asked a weird question. She hadn't thought about it, but when she looked back at it, she did come to one conclusion.

"I... didn't care for them. I just wanted to be a lawyer and do my work. I love working for people to help justice be done," Tigress explained. Then she grew sad. "It all became bittersweet when my father died of an accident. Though I could have sued, I knew it was best not to."

"I'm sorry," Po replied tenderly. Tigress sighed, letting the hurt pass her by. then she looked at Po.

"Now, what about you?"

"Me?"

"What's your story?" Tigress asked. Po thought about it for a while.

"I... grew up in a middle-class neighborhood, but my dad had a lot of low-income customers, so I was always over there. My dad was part of a plumbing company and before he adopted me he became the head of the company, but he still did jobs to keep him busy."

"Isn't running a company too much?" Tigress asked.

"Well, being head of the company didn't mean he worked on the papers. It just meant he supervised the workers. He made sure that I knew how to do plumbing as a trade if my cooking job didn't work. Turns out it helped. Then I got reunited with my real dad, who had my sister with him."

"Wait, so you didn't know about Mei-Mei until later?" Tigress asked. Po shook his head.

"I learned I had a sister when I was 19. We finally met and we just really acted as if we were always brother and sister," Po explained.

"Why did your dad put you up for adoption?" Tigress asked.

"He didn't think he could raise me and my sister after his wife died, so he put us both up for adoption. He went to find Mei-Mei first, but I was hard to find and by the time he found me, a lot of time had passed by. We're still a good family, but still," Po explained.

"Wow, it must have been hard to realize you were adopted," Tigress sighed. Po looked at her with an amused smile.

"My foster dad is a goose," Po said plainly, "It wasn't really 'hard' to figure it out." Tigress smiled. "But it was nice not to be an only child anymore. I had friends, but I would only see them on the weekends. Most of my friends were adults, so I guess I turned out different than most of the other kids."

"I guess we're not as different from each other as I thought," Tigress smiled. Po smiled back.

"No, no we're not."

 **To Be Continued...**


	13. The Last Plumbing Job

The Last Plumbing Job

* * *

Mei-Mei was cleaning up his office desk while he was away on a job. Po didn't tell his family anything about his date with Tigress and tried to keep it that way. Mei was getting some of Po's leftover paperwork that missed the trash bin. "You're going to bury yourself in papers if you're not careful," Mei-Mei would complain. As she was cleaning the office, she decided to look into Po's drawers to see if he had any leftover papers. She looked in one of them to see a particular book that frightened her. It was a book for apartments, particularly single bed ones. Mei-Mei tried to get Tigress on her side to convince him to stay at the house, but now it didn't seem like it worked. Mei-Mei became angry as Po entered the house. "PO!"

"AHH! What is it?!" Po rushed into his office alarmed. His face was stuffed with the book of apartments.

"What is this!"

"Um... I can't tell, considering no one can read at this distance," Po replied smartly. Mei-Mei pulled the book back. "Oh no."

"Po, I told you, you don't have to move," Mei-Mei said upset. After Tigress and Po had started seeing each other more, Mei was becoming more and more persistent in making Po stay. She really didn't want him to be all alone in a one-room apartment. Po rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"Sis, listen, I've been thinking about it and I really could use some of the space. I don't think I'm a burden to you anymore. If I'm going to grow, then I need some personal space to do it," Po replied. This was new to Mei-Mei. Po never talked about leaving for himself, only for the others. Now that it was for himself, it sounded more logical than his other excuses. Mei-Mei shook her head. That didn't mean it was right, though.

"Po, what is Lei-Lei going to do when she figures out that you're leaving?" Mei questioned, "She looks up to you like a second father." Po could see that she was not relenting. "I don't get it, Po. I thought that after Tigress finally helped you to relax that you would learn that we love you and we don't want you to go away," Mei-Mei said with a tremble in her voice. Po wrapped his arms around his sister as she cried. "Please don't go, Po. You're a part of the family."

"I know, but I won't be far away. Trust me, it's for the best," Po said, standing firm on the decision. "I have to go. I have to help Tai-Lung get a new job."

"What happened to his welding job?" Mei-Mei asked, wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"He's... finding new opportunities," Po quickly stated. "We'll talk later." With that, he left his sister. Mei-Mei quickly thought of a way of attack. She knew that Po wouldn't easily listen to her, but there was one person he would listen to.

* * *

"Tell me again why you wanted to see me?" Tigress questioned. Mei-Mei came into Tigress's law firm office to talk to her. Viper was already back so things were a bit boring when she was here. The reason was that Viper ran things very smoothly, so Tigress didn't have much to do during those days.

"I need your help with Po," Mei-Mei sighed. Tigress's ears and eyes perked up.

"What's wrong?" She asked urgently. Mei sighed.

"He's thinking of moving away and getting an apartment by himself. I've told him over and over that he's not a burden to us, but he won't listen."

"Oh," Tigress quivered hesitantly.

"Then he made a new excuse about growing up or something like that. I really thought that after he met you, he wouldn't consider moving out," Mei-Mei continued.

"Why are you so against him moving out, though?" Tigress asked out of curiosity, "I mean, it's not like he's leaving to another state."

"He's a part of the family, and I don't know what I would do if he moved out. Lei-Lei looks up to him and loves him like a second father," Mei-Mei replied. Tigress paused for a moment, trying to make sure that her next words wouldn't offend.

"Mei-Mei, as much as I understand your position on the matter, I think that Po would benefit a lot if he were to move out," Tigress carefully stated. Mei-Mei looked offended.

"How can you say that?!" Mei exclaimed, making Tigress appreciate the fact the door was closed.

"I'm just saying that Lei-Lei will get bigger and if Po's going to be returning to college, he does need some space."

"It would be more cost efficient if he was living with us," Mei-Mei argued harshly. Tigress sighed. She knew she was fighting a losing battle with her.

"I understand, but there a lot of... distractions that could prevent him from his studies," Tigress said, making Mei look angrier, "I'm not saying that to be mean, Mei. You know that Po doesn't want to hurt you guys, but he's right in that he may need some space." Mei shook her head.

"I can't believe you. I thought you would help me," Mei criticized, standing up and about to leave. Tigress did the same, walked around her desk, and leaned against the front of it.

"I am... in my own way. Plus, if Po is going to date someone, it's going to be awkward with his family in the house. Don't you think he deserves some privacy with his date?" Tigress asked. Mei-Mei's eyes sprang open in shock. Then she gave Tigress a great smirk as she looked at the tiger with a knowing look. "Oh no," Tigress thought to herself. "III I mean, if Po's reason for moving is for some personal space then why deny that? He's still part of the family," Tigress said to Mei almost shakily.

"Hmmm," Mei-Mei mumbled with her grin still on.

"I'm just saying that Po and whoever he wants to be with deserve those... privileges," Tigress said, desperately trying to hide her own fault.

"MmmHmmm," Mei-Mei grinned. "You're probably right. Sorry for getting angry at you. It's going to be a big change, but I think I'll get used to it." With that, Mei-Mei left the office.

"Crud," Tigress cursed under her breath.

* * *

Po was waiting at the house for Mei-Mei when her car pulled up and she entered the house. "Mei-Mei, I think we-"

"Don't bother. You were right."

"I was?"

"You need the space for your... future endeavors. Just make sure to visit frequently when you do, okay?" Mei-Mei smiled, patting Po on the cheek.

"I will," Po promised. "Um... where did you go?"

"I went to see Tigress," Mei-Mei said with a knowing smile. That smile almost halted Po's heart.

"Why?" He asked carefully and cautiously in a squeaky voice.

"Just a little... girl talk," Mei-Mei said as she got her stuff to go pick up Lei-Lei. "I'll be back." As she left, Po grabbed the phone and called Tigress.

"Let me guess, Mei-Mei was acting strange?" Tigress guessed.

"What happened?" Po asked, "How did you convince her to agree with me?"

"Well, I'm a lawyer. Persuasion is our thing. That and she might have picked up on the fact that we were... seeing each other."

"WHAT!" Po shouted, making Tigress pull the phone away from her ear. "HOW!"

"I... accidentally said that you needed the space for when you would be dating people. I guess she picked up on the real reason you started considering to move out," Tigress sighed. "I'm sorry, Po."

"It's alright. I'm just going to be annoyed to death by her," Po grumbled, then he spoke nervously "So... are we... actually... dating each other?" The line went silent for a while. Po needed to know, Tigress knew that.

"Yes," Tigress finally said, giving him the permission to tell people. Giving him the permission to actually go forward with this. Giving him the permission to make it official. Making herself available to him and not to play any kind of games. "Yes, we are." Po didn't know what to say after that, but he finally just said.

"I'm glad," with a smile. Tigress smiled as well, playing with the buttons on her red vest jacket.

"Can you come over to my house Friday, for some plumbing work?" She asked, remembering that she needed some work done.

"Of course," Po replied. "Bye."

"Bye." They both hung up the phone. Tigress's smile would not go away. She hadn't been this happy since she had her last real birthday party. Her personality refused to let herself be overly giddy, but she was definitely light-hearted. An overall joy filled her body. She could also feel some excitement or was that nervousness. But why was she nervous? Could it be that she was rusty with relationships or did she really think that Po could be the one? "I finally did it. I finally said yes," Tigress smiled to herself.

"Tigress?"

"Yes?" Tigress asked on reflex. Viper's head tilted in confusion.

"Are you okay?" Viper asked.

"Sure I'm fine. I'm just... happy," Tigress replied with a smile. Viper, who usually picks up on these sort of things, was left clueless as she just silvered out of the office. Po, on the other hand, was overjoyed.

"YES!" Po shouted in an empty house. "YES! YES YES!" He began jumping around, excited all in one. He plopped down in the chair and looked up at the ceiling. "I finally did it. I finally asked her out." It was going to be an interesting relationship.

 **To Be Continued...**


	14. A Monkey Wrench of a Situation

A Monkey Wrench of a Situation

* * *

It took them three long months, but they finally moved in the last bit of stuff into Po's new apartment. Several big changes were going through Po's life. Moving to a new apartment, going back to college, Tai-Lung traveling with Song, and Tigress being his girlfriend. His apartment was small. A one bedroom one bathroom set up, but it gave him a lot of privacy. The place was secure and didn't have a lot of crime, and it was a very quiet neighborhood. "I'm not going to sleep with all the quiet," Po joked to himself, but he knew he was right. Mei-Mei could see through his joking.

"It's okay, Po. You'll be fine," Mei said.

"I can't believe that you're finally moving out. I don't know what to think," Peng sighed. Po smiled as he patted the snow leopard on top of the head.

"You'll be fine, Mr. college man," Po smiled. Peng was finally going off to college, which was also the day that Lei-Lei was going to school. Po had already gone through the tears of separating with her. "Now remember."

"I know, no partying or whatever," Peng interrupted.

"Actually, I'd prefer that you don't bring any ugly girls home," Mei-Mei said bluntly.

"MEI!"

"What? I got to make sure that he has a good eye. I need cute AND beautiful in this family line," Mei-Mei answered her brother. "But please be safe." the female panda said, kissing Peng on the head.

"I will," Peng promised.

"Is that everything?" Po asked.

"Almost," Said a voice from the front door. Everyone turned to see Tigress in the doorpost with her weight leaning on it.

"Um... Mei-Mei, didn't we leave something in the car?" Peng lied, trying to give the two some privacy. Mei rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry about being subtle. It's not like I'm going to get any nieces or nephew anytime soon," Mei-Mei said bluntly as they walked out. The family had found out about Po and Tigress eventually and let them be. Peng groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose as he walked out with Mei-Mei. Tigress and Po looked at each other, embarrassed at what Mei-Mei said.

"Hehe, family," Po said.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Tigress replied as she walking around the mess of boxes and stuff. "I didn't know that you had this much stuff."

"I don't. Mei-Mei just wanted to make sure that I was well taken care of," Po sighed. Tigress smiled as she grabbed Po's hand.

"Are you ready for this?" Tigress asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Po sighed. Tigress kissed him on the cheek.

"I know you'll be great. I'll come to visit you as much as possible," Tigress promised.

"With your work schedule? That's going to be interesting," Po smirked.

"Don't even start with me about 'work schedule'," Tigress remarked with a smirk. "Hope your first day of school is good."

"OH SHOOT!" Po exclaimed. "That reminds me that I have to get some supplies. I'll be right back. See you later," Po said, quickly kissing Tigress on the lips, quite by accident, and rushed off. Tigress stood there shocked as Po rushed outside. She shook herself awake.

"Okay, maybe Mei-Mei will have some nephews and nieces soon," Tigress chuckled to herself. But that's another story.

* * *

Grueling, challenging, difficult, and often times had him pitted against Tigress's anger for wanting her to try so much of his new food. In other words, Po loved college. It challenged him and changed him in ways that he didn't really understand before. Of course, there were the little pitfalls. Don't go to parties where you know suspicious characters were around, be careful of the women, and make sure you have time management, which Po found himself great at. Surprisingly, he went on to get a degree in accounting and culinary arts as well, making his family and Tigress all the prouder. "It's good to finally be happy," Po sighed as he was out on a date with Tigress at his apartment. Lei-Lei had come over to babysat by Po and was sleeping in bed. Rather, she came to be babysat by Tigress. Lei-Lei was more attached to Tigress than anyone else in the family, even Mei-Mei. She would often act like her: dressing up in a business suit, having fake glasses on, and acting annoyed with stupid people, basically her class. She was definitely a mini-Tigress and Tigress often had to correct her to make sure she didn't get in trouble.

"I thought you were always happy," Tigress smugly murmured, eating the 'experiment' that he cooked up.

"I am now. Lei-Lei's finally resting, I don't have work or schoolwork, and more importantly, I'm spending quality time with you," Po said sweetly.

"You're such a sweet panda," Tigress teased, pinching his cheeks, "No wonder that... skank tried to make a move on you." Po had a very approachable personality, which almost led to his downfall. A woman tried to get him to be her boyfriend, but even though Po refused, she persisted. That is until Tigress had some choice words with her. So did Tai-Lung. And Mei-Mei. And Lei-Lei while she was with Mei-Mei at the time. Surprisingly out of all those three, Lei-Lei probably said the worst thing, having learned some words from Tigress that involved... well, let's just say Lei had a time-out for it and Tigress had a new habit to break. Finally, the girl got the idea when she saw Po with Tigress and the amount of work both she and he did. "I guess she didn't want to work so much for a relationship," Tigress guessed.

"I know," Po sighed. "Well, it's good that everything even out though. Especially with you and my dad," Po grumbled. Po let Tigress visit his dad, who was very persisting in seeing that the tiger marry the panda. Tigress and Po's dad didn't really have an argument, but Po was definitely trying to keep his father in line, which was impossible to do. "Sorry for the whole, please marry my son, routine. He really just wants grandchildren."

"I know, I've been there for a while," Tigress smiled. "So... what is your plan for children?" Po's eyes widened as he put down his cup. "I didn't mean to ruin the moment, but-"

"No, no, no it's okay. I think that's just something that I... We'll figure out once we get there," Po said. Tigress's ears sagged. Every time she would talk about the idea or anything related to marriage, Po was very cautious about it. After the three years that they had been dating, Tigress really wanted to take the next step with Po. She knew she could definitely live with his personality and habits, even the annoying ones like his tendency to overwork himself. But she knew she couldn't force Po to do something he wasn't ready for, even though she really wanted him to take the next step. Po's words interrupted her silence. "Well, I do have another thing from the shop. It's something that Tai-Lung helped me do while he was with Song." Song and Tai-Lung had traveled together for a while and started up an interesting and great relationship. Tai-Lung became fully invested in the technical reporting business and Song was definitely glad he could come along. Anyways, Po took a bottle from the fridge and gave it to Tigress.

There was something strange about the bottle. It was almost completely black, but the way that Po handed it to Tigress was suspicious as well. He wore insulated gloves as if the bottle would melt. Tigress grabbed the bottle and tried to twist the top. She couldn't get it open. Then something weird happened. The bottle had a type of weird black covering around it that would become transparent as it warmed up. Tigress peered through the glass to see words and an object that would change her life. She gasped as she read the words, 'Will you marry me?' and found a ring inside the bottle. Tigress placed the bottle on the table, ran out of her chair making it fall over, tackled Po to the floor, and kissed him on the lips. "YES! YES!" She shouted over and over.

"YAY!" Said a voice from behind them. Tigress and Po looked back to see an awake Lei-Lei looking at them. "Aunty Tigress and Uncle Po are getting married!" Tigress and Po laughed at the little panda's excitement as Tigress kissed Po again. Then she stopped as a thought came into her mind.

"How do we get the ring out?" Tigress asked. Po's eyes widened as he smacked his head.

"I'll get the monkey wrench," He sighed as Tigress only smiled.

 **The End.**

* * *

 **Though not exactly like this, my parents are actually the same. This was based on my parents' relationship. My dad was a plumber and my mom a doctor. It was an interesting relationship and still is to this day. Love is very weird. =)**


End file.
